ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Departmental Billing

David Anderson: To ask the Attorney-General what information he holds on the time taken by contractors employed by the Law Officers' Departments to pay the invoices of their sub-contractors under prompt payment arrangements; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Grieve: Like other Government offices the Law Officers' Departments follow the principles of the Prompt Payment Code, but no records are maintained on the time taken by contractors to pay sub-contractors. Such information could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

Departmental Civil Servants

Graham Evans: To ask the Attorney-General how many employees of the Law Officers' Departments attended Civil Service Live in  (a) 2008,  (b) 2009 and  (c) 2010; and what estimate he has made of the (i) employee working hours taken up by and (ii) cost to the Law Officers' Departments of such attendance in each such year.

Dominic Grieve: The following table details the number of Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) staff who attended Civil Service Live, and an estimate of working hours on the basis of a 7:24 working day:
	
		
			   Number of staff  Number of working hours 
			 2008 63 456 
			 2009 53 384 
			 2010 15 109 
		
	
	It is not possible to provide a reliable estimate of the cost for each year as the identity of each of the members of staff that attended Civil Service Live is not available.
	14 members of SFO staff attended Civil Service Live 2010. 13 members spent half a day at the conference with one further employee attending for three days. These attendances were undertaken as part of their professional duties and came at no extra cost to the taxpayer. There are no records of Serious Fraud Office employees attending in 2008 or in 2009.
	According to records the approximate number of Treasury Solicitor's Department staff who booked to attend Civil Service Live for one day or a part of one day was:
	
		
			   Number of staff 
			 2008 50 
			 2009 34 
			 2010 46 
		
	
	The figures for 2010 also include members of staff in the Attorney-General's Office who attended the event. Records on attendance by staff in the Attorney-General's Office are not held for previous years and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
	The Department does not hold information relating to the number of hours taken up attending Civil Service Live and the cost of attendance.
	The National Fraud Authority and HMCPSI have not identified any employees who attended Civil Service Live in 2008, 2009 or 2010.

WALES

Departmental Civil Servants

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many employees of her Department attended Civil Service Live in  (a) 2008,  (b) 2009 and  (c) 2010; and what estimate she has made of the (i) employee working hours taken up by and (ii) cost to her Department of such attendance in each such year.

David Jones: No employees attended the Civil Service Live events in any of the three years listed.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Birds: Licensing

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people in England have  (a) applied for and  (b) been granted (i) in full and (ii) in part a licence to control herring gulls and greater black-backed gulls since those species were removed from general licences; what the reasons were for each such application; and how many birds of each species (A) have been allowed to be culled and (B) have been culled under such licences.

Richard Benyon: holding answer 19 July 2010
	 Herring gulls and greater black-backed gulls were removed from some English general licences on 1 January 2010, as a result of their declining conservation status. The following table gives statistics regarding applications and individual licences for these two species from 1 January 2010 to 14 July 2010.
	Natural England records full details of the licences that are issued rather than all the activities applied for, so the licences may have granted the application in full or in part. Information on the numbers of birds killed under these licences will be available when the licences expire.
	
		
			   Application s received  Granted  Purpose/reason  Action permitted  Licences issued  Number licensed 
			 Herring gull 155 21 Health and safety Shooting 17 1,619 
			 Cage trapping 4 216 
			   98 Conservation Shooting 86 2,380 
			 Egg oiling 0 0 
			 Nest/egg destruction/relocation 10 95 
			 Trap (net and kill) 2 35 
			   1 Preventing serious damage Shooting 1 30 
			   120  Total 120 4,375 
			
			 Great black-backed gull 110 8 Health and safety Shooting 4 370 
			 Egg oiling 1 150 
			 Nest/egg destruction 3 125 
			   84 Conservation Shooting 78 1,155 
			 Egg oiling 0 0 
			 Nest/egg destruction/relocation 5 32 
			 Trap (net and kill) 1 2 
			   92  Total 92 1,834

Birds: Licensing

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much it has cost to administer the individual licensing arrangements for the culling of herring gulls and greater black-backed gulls since these gulls were removed from English general licences for the control of pest birds.

Richard Benyon: holding answer 19 July 2010
	Herring gulls and greater black-backed gulls were removed from some English general licences on 1 January 2010, as a result of their declining conservation status.
	Natural England estimates the cost of processing individual licence applications for these species from 1 January 2010 to 14 July 2010 to be £57,000.
	This includes set-up costs; future costs will be substantially less. These costs are partly off-set by the addition of two species of parakeet and two species of goose to general licences.

Fisheries: Quotas

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many fish were discarded for the purpose of meeting EU quotas in 2009.

Richard Benyon: UK fisheries laboratories send observers to sea to record the quantity of fish discarded and retained by fishing vessels. This sampling is intended to provide estimates of discards of the main commercial species, but at present is not representative of all UK fisheries. It is also only possible to sample a proportion of the vessels participating in any fishery. As a consequence, estimates of total discards are subject to uncertainty and the resolution of the data does not usually allow us to differentiate between the specific reasons for discards (e.g. over-quota, under legal minimum landing size or high-graded).
	The analysis of 2009 discards data is not yet complete. We are therefore unable to provide an estimate of how many fish were discarded in pursuit of EU quotas in 2009. However, in 2008 around 440,000 tonnes of quota stocks were landed by UK vessels. These were caught in a wide range of different areas and fisheries, many of which were not sampled by scientific observers. Estimates of discards for 2008 are available for the following fisheries:
	 Fleet
	English and Welsh vessels over 10 metres in length.
	 Areas
	North sea (ICES area IV), and waters to the south and west of England and Wales (ICES area VII).
	 Species
	Demersal quota species (cod, haddock, plaice, sole, anglerfish etc.)
	 Estimated 2008 catches
	37,000t - 27,600t were landed and 9,400t discarded.
	 Fleet
	Scottish vessels over 10 metres in length.
	 Areas
	North sea (ICES area IV), and west of Scotland (ICES Division VIa).
	 Species
	Cod, haddock, whiting and saithe.
	 Estimated 2008 catches
	91,700t - 56,600t were landed and 35,100t discarded.
	 Fleet
	UK vessels fishing for pelagic species.
	 Areas
	All areas.
	 Species
	Mackerel, horse mackerel, herring, sprat, blue whiting.
	 Estimated 2008 catches
	203,200t - 198,300t were landed and 4,900t discarded.
	In total these fisheries are estimated to have caught around 332,000t of the relevant species in 2008, of which 283,000t was landed and 49,000t were discarded.

Hill Farming

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many applications were received for assistance under the hill farm allowance scheme in 2009.

James Paice: The total number of claims received for the hill farm allowance payment for 2009 was 8,213. Of these, 7,023 claims were eligible with payments totalling £23.9 million.

Hill Farming

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many applications have been received for the Upland Entry Level Scheme.

James Paice: holding answer 19 July 2010
	As of 1 July, over 2,000 applications had been received for Uplands Entry Level Stewardship (ELS), and a total of 1,888 agreements were able to be given this earliest start date. Under Uplands ELS, 103,000 hectares of land were covered, and a further 163,168 hectares of land under combined Uplands ELS/Higher Level Stewardship.

Hill Farming

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in respect of what area of land in England hill farm allowance payments were made in 2009.

James Paice: holding answer 19 July 2010
	The hill farm allowance (HFA) was a Less Favoured Area measure under the Rural Development Programme for England and was replaced this year by Uplands Entry Level Stewardship. HFA payments in 2009 totalled £23.9 million in respect of just over 968,000 hectares of land within the Severely Disadvantaged Area (SDA).

Hill Farming

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what area of land is eligible for applications for Uplands Entry Level Scheme payments.

James Paice: holding answer 19 July 2010
	Uplands farmers managing land in Severely Disadvantaged Areas (SDA) of England are eligible for applications under the Uplands Entry Level Stewardship (ELS). In total, this covers nearly 1.3 million hectares of land. However some of this land is currently managed under existing Countryside Stewardship Scheme or Environmentally Sensitive Areas agreements, and will become eligible for Uplands ELS when these agreements expire between 2011-14.

Marine Disposal: Rame Head South

Sheryll Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations she has received on the location of marine disposal site PLO31 at Rame Head South; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: I have received several representations from local people, and am aware that the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has held a meeting with local representatives to listen to their concerns about the Rame Head disposal site.
	In order to ensure that these concerns are addressed, I have therefore asked the MMO to re-examine the Rame Head case by commissioning an independent review of evidence from CEFAS, and local sources. This will enable us to assess whether the original conditions, under which licences were granted, remain valid and environmental effects are tolerable.
	This process will be personally overseen by the chair of the MMO, and the MMO's new chief scientific adviser. I will write to my hon. Friend with further details once the terms of reference for the review have been finalised.

Peat

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she plans to continue to  (a) phase out the use of peat by 2020 and  (b) reduce the use of peat by 90 per cent. by 2010.

Richard Benyon: We are currently considering our approach to a new policy to reduce the horticultural use of peat in growing media, including future targets for its reduction. The most recent data for peat sales throughout 2009 will be published shortly, and will feed into the development of future policy.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Departmental Billing

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what information his Department holds on the time taken by contractors employed by it to pay the invoices of their sub-contractors under prompt payment arrangements; and if he will make a statement.

Owen Paterson: The Department does not hold this information.
	In line with the recent Budget announcement, the Department is including a clause in all new contracts awarded with suppliers to ensure that suppliers pay their sub-contractors within 30 days. The Department will also be encouraging its suppliers to pay faster than 30 days where the Department itself is paying in 10 days or fewer.

SCOTLAND

Broadband: Scotland

Mark Spencer: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps the Government plans to take to support access to high-speed broadband in Scotland.

Michael Moore: As stated in the Coalition's joint programme for government, we will seek to introduce superfast broadband in remote areas at the same time as in more populated areas. On 8 June, the Secretary of State for Culture, the Olympics, Media and Sport set out the Government's plans for ensuring the UK has the best superfast broadband network in Europe by the end of the Parliament.
	These plans include enabling access to existing infrastructure to reduce the cost of deployment. A discussion document on how best to do this, was launched on 15 July. Further, the Secretary of State has proposed three market testing projects for superfast broadband in rural areas, to be paid for with money left over from the Digital TV Switchover Help Scheme. The venues for these projects are currently under consideration.

Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much has been paid in reimbursable expenses to special advisers in his Department in respect of  (a) travel,  (b) accommodation and  (c) telephone calls since 6 May 2010.

Michael Moore: The Scotland Office has paid £17 in reimbursable expenses to special advisers in respect of travel since 6 May 2010. Similarly, £482 has been paid in respect of accommodation. No reimbursable expenses have been paid to special advisers in respect of telephone calls since 6 May 2010.

Departmental Press: Subscriptions

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland to what newspapers and periodicals his Department subscribes; and at what cost in the last 12 months.

Michael Moore: The Scotland Office currently subscribes to the following papers and periodicals:
	 Courier
	 Daily Express
	 Daily Mail
	 Daily Record
	 Daily Telegraph
	 Financial Times
	 Herald
	 Press & Journal
	 Scotsman
	 Sun
	 Times.
	Our estimated cost for the year is £4,090.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he  (a) has had and  (b) plans to have discussions with the US administration on an offer to loan or transfer to NATO allies a package of counter-improvised explosive devices measures, including detection equipment; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Fox: I have discussed the seriousness of the threat NATO troops face from improvised explosive devices in Afghanistan with my US counterpart on a number of occasions, including during my recent visit to the US, 28 June to 2 July. We have had no formal discussions on whether to loan or transfer a package of counter-improvised explosive device (C-IED) measures to our NATO allies.
	We have effective mechanisms in place to share C-IED information with our allies, and this is regularly reviewed.

Armed Forces: Housing

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the highest amount paid by service personnel for  (a) service family and  (b) single living service accommodation was in the last 12 months.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 19 July 2010
	The highest service family accommodation charge is for type 1 grade 1 furnished accommodation at £25.15 per day plus a contribution in lieu of council tax (CILCOT) charge of £5.65 per day. The highest single service living accommodation charge is for senior officer grade 1 accommodation at £6.05 per day plus CILCOT of £0.32 per day.

Armed Forces: Housing

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total monetary value was of rent subsidies provided for service accommodation in the last 12 months.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 19 July 2010
	While a level of abatement is given to reflect the disadvantages of living in service accommodation is applied to accommodation charges of service personnel, this is matter of judgement for the independent Armed Forces' Pay Review Body which is responsible for providing advice to the Government on the remuneration and charges for service personnel.

Armed Forces: Housing

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost to the public purse of  (a) repairs,  (b) water and sewage rates and  (c) council tax in respect of service accommodation was in the last 12 months.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 19 July 2010
	The cost in financial year 2009-10 of repairing and maintaining service family accommodation (SFA), excluding major upgrade projects, other new works or the replacement of carpets, was £124.1 million.
	SFA occupancy charges for service personnel include an element to cover the costs of water and sewage rates, so there is effectively no cost to the public purse. Occupants also pay contributions in lieu of council tax to cover the cost to the Department of paying council tax.
	Information relating to single living accommodation is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Housing

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to reply to the Royal British Legion's request to publish details of the proposed upgrade of armed forces accommodation.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 19 July 2010
	As part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review we will look at whether there is scope to refurbish armed forces accommodation from efficiencies within the MOD.

Armed Forces: Mental Health Services

Nicky Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans his Department has to improve support for those in the armed forces at risk of post-traumatic stress.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 19 July 2010
	The Ministry of Defence has a wide range of measures in place to manage the mental health of our personnel. In addition, the current Strategic Defence and Security Review will include consideration of possible enhancements to medical care for armed forces personnel, including mental health care. The Prime Minister has also asked Dr Andrew Murrison MP to carry out a study into the health of both serving and ex-service personnel to see what more can be done to assess and meet these needs; a focus of this study will be mental health.

Army: Radio

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many army radios have been reported  (a) lost and  (b) stolen in each of the last 12 months.

Nick Harvey: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Chiefs of Staff: Expenses

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to publish the expenses of senior members of the armed forces on a quarterly basis; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 19 July 2010
	Work on the first period to be published, the quarter from January to March this year, is under way and the information will be published as soon as we can be sure that it is complete and accurate.

Defence Equipment

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  whether the £19 million funding for dismounted close combat equipment announced by his Department on 7 July 2010 will provide equipment additional to that announced prior to 6 May 2010;
	(2)  whether the £158 million funding for base equipment announced by his Department on 7 July 2010 will provide equipment additional to that announced prior to 6 May 2010; and what proportion of the funding will be allocated to  (a) Bowman tactical radios and  (b) patrol satellite systems.

Peter Luff: The funding of up to £189 million announced on 7 July will provide additional equipment for UK troops in support of operations in Afghanistan, all of which is over and above any announcements made prior to 6 May 2010. Subject to HM Treasury approval, this will include up to £19 million for dismounted close combat equipment, up to £158 million for base protection equipment, including communications and surveillance equipment, of which approximately £35 million will be allocated to Bowman tactical radios and £0.9 million to patrol satellite communications.

Ex-Servicemen

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he plans to take to increase the level of support available to veterans provided by his Department.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 15 July 2010
	 The Government provide a comprehensive programme of support for ex-service personnel. This includes: an excellent resettlement package for service personnel returning to civilian life; high quality pension and compensation schemes; measures to meet veterans' health and welfare needs.
	The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has recently put in place a number of initiatives to improve the support given to veterans, including:
	The launch of a national point of contact to ensure that service personnel, families and veterans are able to access the help and support available from the MOD, from statutory providers and from the voluntary and charitable sector facilitating the delivery of services across all sectors by raising awareness of entitlement at all levels.
	Working with the Department for Communities and Local Government and the devolved Administrations to improve the access of early service leavers (ie those that have served less than four years) to social housing and temporary accommodation.
	Working with a range of partners across Government, the Prison Service, the devolved Administrations, and with voluntary and charitable sector organisations to better serve veterans in prison. The Ex-Service Offenders Working Group promotes the support available to veterans both before and after their release. MOD will continue to work with these agencies to help reduce the risk of re-offending amongst the ex-service community.
	Changes to the legislation governing the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) following the review led by Admiral the Lord Boyce and the setting up of an independent medical expert body to advise on compensation on particular illnesses and injuries are being implemented. All legislative changes will take place by February 2011.
	The Prime Minister has asked Dr Andrew Murrison MP to conduct an independent study into the provision of MOD and NHS support and services to the armed forces and ex-service personnel and to make recommendations particularly in the area of mental health.

Iraq and Afghanistan: Members

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in what circumstances hon. Members who have visited  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan on official business are eligible to receive operational service medals.

Andrew Robathan: Members of Parliament who visit operational theatres do not meet the qualifying criteria for the campaign medal and as a consequence are not eligible and do not receive any such medal.
	A Member of Parliament would only qualify for an official campaign medal if he or she was a member of the reserve forces and officially mobilised to an operational theatre. There are Members of the House who are Reservists and as such have been mobilised to operational theatres.

Military Bases

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many permanent UK military headquarters there are; where each is located; who has command at each such headquarters; and what the staff is of each.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 15 July 2010
	 There are five permanent military headquarters (HQ) in the UK. Details of the location, who has command and staff employed at each are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Of which: 
			  Military HQ  Location  Commanded by  Number of staff  Military  Civilian 
			 Ministry of Defence (MOD)-Head Office MOD Main Building London Secretary of State for Defence 2,920 1,070 1,850 
			 Navy-HQ Navy Command Portsmouth Commander in Chief Fleet 1,420 863 557 
			 Army-HQ Land Forces Andover Commander in Chief Land Forces 2,077 1,075 1,002 
			 RAF-HQ Air Command High Wycombe Commander in Chief Air 2,099 1,476 623 
			 Permanent Joint HQ-Operations Joint HQ Northwood Chief of Joint Operations 593 476 117

Type 45 Destroyers

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what reports he has received of the outcomes of the recent test firing of Type 45 missile systems; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 19 July 2010,  Official Report, columns 3-4W.

TRANSPORT

A338

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received on the roadworks on the A338 between Ringwood and Bournemouth.

Michael Penning: The Department has received no representations on the mentioned scheme.

Departmental Lighting

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much  (a) his Department and its predecessors and  (b) its agencies and non-departmental public bodies spent on light bulbs in each year since 1997.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport was formed in 2002 and therefore no records exist for the Department prior to that date.
	The majority of the Department does not record the purchase of light bulbs as a separate category as they are an integral part of facilities management or mechanical and electrical contracts.
	The following table shows the known expenditure on light bulbs for those parts of the Department who record those costs separately. The NDPB figure includes Northern Lighthouse Board and Trinity House Lighthouse service.
	
		
			  Expenditure on light bulbs (£) 
			  Organisation  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 Central Department n/a n/a n/a 67 64 513 35 10 
			 Executive agencies 521 n/a n/a 75 n/a 144 . 298 699 
			 NDPBs 13,009 11,218 12,656 3,956 6,127 8,143 13,044 10,306

Driving: Training

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reasons his Department plans to introduce mandatory eco-driving training as part of the driver certificate of professional competence; what definition his Department uses of the term eco-driving; what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of such a programme; and what estimate he has made of the cost of the programme to the public purse.

Michael Penning: The Department for Transport has consulted on options for increasing the up-take of eco-driving training for large goods vehicle and passenger carrying vehicle drivers. One of the options was to make eco-driver training a mandatory part of the driver certificate of professional competence. The two other options were: (i) to keep the voluntary nature of eco-driving training; and (ii) to keep it voluntary and also increase promotion of the benefits of the training. The consultation closed on 30 June 2010 and the Government will publish their response following a full analysis of the consultation responses.
	The definition of eco-driving training used in the consultation document is training that includes some or all of the following elements: how to improve aerodynamic performance; how to drive at efficient speeds; fuel efficiency and choice of gear; best practice for acceleration and braking; and anticipation of traffic and driving conditions. This definition was also subject to consultation.
	The Department's preliminary analysis showed that if 90% of large goods vehicle drivers were eco-driving trained and continued to drive in that manner, around 3 million tonnes of CO2 and £300 million in fuel costs could be saved by the industry over a five year period. An initial impact assessment for each of the options was published with the consultation document and views invited. A further full assessment of the effectiveness of the option chosen and its cost to Government will be undertaken once the analysis of responses is complete.

Electric Vehicles

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps are being taken to encourage the development of the infrastructure needed for electric cars.

Norman Baker: We announced in the coalition agreement, that the Government will mandate a national charging infrastructure for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. We are carefully considering a range of delivery options, but decisions have yet to be taken.

Freight

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to encourage a modal shift of freight from road to rail.

Michael Penning: The Government currently encourage the transfer of freight from road to rail, where it is practical, economic and environmentally sustainable to do so, through two grant schemes to assist with the operating costs where these are higher than for road, and to help offset the capital cost of providing freight handling facilities.
	In June this year the Government decided to maintain the current level of expenditure on rail and water freight operating grants for 2010-11 and 2011-12.
	While I recognise the benefits that grant funding to encourage modal shift from road to rail freight can bring, the current financial climate means that we will have to make difficult spending decisions across Government. Decisions on the future of freight grant schemes will therefore be reached as part of the spending review.

M1

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the M1 motorway to be free of roadworks between junctions 1 and 32; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Penning: Given its usage, age and strategic importance, there will always be a need to undertake routine and emergency works on the M1 to keep the motorway in a safe and serviceable condition. Some resurfacing/patching will be carried out over the next two years. These works will be carried out in the majority of cases overnight to keep disruption to a minimum, and in most cases delays will be minimal.
	It is anticipated that the works to the M1 motorway between junction 10 and 13 will be completed in spring 2013.
	The replacement of Catthorpe viaduct at M1 junction 19 started on 12 July 2010 and is due to end in spring 2012.
	Details of maintenance works will be published in weekly press bulletins, and on the Highways Agency website.
	There may also be some additional works required on sections of the M1 motorway this year to finalise and complete technology works between M1 J6a to 10 and M1 J25 to 28. Works will be carried out overnight to keep the disruption to the travelling public to a minimum.
	The M1 has recently been widened to four lanes in both directions from junctions 25 to 28. The lanes opened to traffic in May this year completing ahead of the programme schedule.
	The information above relates to schemes currently in construction and ongoing maintenance of the network.

M1

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reasons two separate sections of contraflow are in operation on the M1 north and south of Toddington services; what consideration was given to carrying out each roadworks project consecutively; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Penning: Two contraflows with a 50 mile per hour speed limit are currently in operation between M1 junctions 10 and 11 and junctions 12 and 13 while work to repair embankments, build emergency refuge areas and install gantries is ongoing.
	As the proposed improvements to junction 11 and junction 12 require the acquisition of land, statutory process has to be followed and therefore work cannot be carried out on these junctions in advance of completion of that process. Work has subsequently been sequenced so that this does not have a detrimental effect on the overall length of the contract.
	The two sections of contraflow between junctions 10 and 13 on the M1 form part of the same scheme and are being delivered as part of the same contract.

M1

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the roadworks north of junction 10 of the M1 to be completed; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Penning: Two contraflows with a 50 mile per hour speed limit are currently in operation between Junctions 10 and 11 and Junctions 12 and 13 on the M1 while work to repair embankments, build emergency refuge areas and install gantries is ongoing.
	It is anticipated that the roadworks north of Junction 10 of the M1 will be completed in spring 2013.

Merchant Shipping

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 8 July 2010,  Official R eport, column 14WS, on Merchant Shipping (Ship-to-Ship Transfers) Regulations, what representations he has received on his proposal to review the Regulations from  (a) harbour authorities,  (b) oil and shipping companies or representative associations,  (c) environmental non-governmental organisations and  (d) others to date.

Michael Penning: Since making the announcement on 8 July, I have, to date, received the following representations from:
	 (a) Harbour authorities: One.
	 (b) Oil and shipping companies or representative associations: None.
	 (c) Environmental non-governmental organisations: None.
	 (d) Others: Two.

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department takes to ensure registered keepers of private cars pay vehicle excise duty; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Penning: A comprehensive package of measures is in place making vehicle excise duty convenient to pay but difficult to evade. Registered keepers are sent renewal reminders to alert them that the vehicle excise duty is due and offering a variety of ways to license their vehicle. Online and telephone services are used by a large number of customers together with the traditional paper service at the Post Office.
	Those who fail to license their vehicles are subject to proportionate enforcement measures ranging from automated penalties from the vehicle record, through to direct enforcement action such as the wheel clamping, impounding and, ultimately, disposal of the unlicensed vehicle. The latest national statistics on vehicle excise duty evasion shows that this package of measures has been successful and 99.4% of all revenue payable in 2009 was collected.

Railways: East Anglia

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he plans to take in response to the Greater Anglia rail franchise: what passengers want report produced by Passenger Focus in April 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: We will consult shortly on rail franchising policy and will announce the time frame for responding when it is published. We intend to let the new Greater Anglia franchise under the reformed system on which we will be consulting shortly and expect to advertise it by the end of the year.
	Evidence from Passenger Focus on passenger priorities will be taken into account when decisions on the franchise specification and the award of the franchise are made.

Railways: Overcrowding

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make an assessment of the merits of putting a legal limit on the number of passengers who can travel in a train carriage.

Theresa Villiers: I currently have no plans to assess the merits of putting a legal limit on the number of passengers who can travel in a rail carriage. There is no evidence that a limit is required for safety reasons. A legal limit would be difficult to enforce and might require all rail passengers to book in advance or risk not being allowed to travel. This would be very unpopular with many rail users and probably unworkable on commuter sections of the railway, where most crowding occurs.
	The scope for future investment in additional rolling stock capacity will depend on decisions that will be made in the spending review.
	The forthcoming consultation on rail franchising will also consider ideas for addressing passenger concerns regarding crowding levels.

Railways: Theft

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to reduce the incidence of cable theft close to railway lines in the North East.

Theresa Villiers: Metal theft is a crime which hits the railway particularly hard and causes levels of disruption out of all proportion to the value of the material stolen. That is why the British Transport Police (BTP), as the national police force for the railway, is in the forefront of efforts to tackle the problem.
	The British Transport Police led a national day of action on 14 July bringing together police forces, Network Rail, the scrap metal industry and others with an interest in the subject. The aim was to target both the thieves themselves and the scrap yards where they seek to sell stolen material. This is part of a continuing campaign to deal with cable and other metal theft, both in the north-east and across the country as a whole.

Roads: Nottinghamshire

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what road improvements will take place on the A1 in Nottinghamshire in the next 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Penning: Currently there are no road improvements (as opposed to maintenance activity) that will take place on the A1 in Nottinghamshire in the next 12 months.
	In the longer term, there are two schemes planned on the A1 in Nottinghamshire:
	A1 Elkesley Junction Improvement: In line with other schemes, the public inquiry for this scheme has been deferred until the spending review is concluded.
	A1/B6387 Twyford Bridge Improvements: This scheme is split into two phases with the first phase (slip road improvements) being developer funded.

Sea Rescue

Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many rescue boats operating in the UK are not operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution but have the Maritime and Coastguard Agency as their launching authority.

Michael Penning: Independent lifeboats are rescue boats which are declared facilities according to a specific standard or set criteria as agreed with the MCA.
	There are 52 independent lifeboats in the UK that are declared for Search and Rescue (SAR) to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). The MCA will request their attendance for search and rescue purposes as part of its role in the co-ordination of UK SAR activities. Authority to launch following a request from the MCA rests with the operators of the boat concerned.

Speed Limits: Cameras

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will issue guidance to local authorities and Transport for London on the implementation of his policy not to fund additional speed cameras; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Penning: On 24 June I wrote to all local authorities in England and Wales, including Transport for London, setting out the Government's position on speed cameras. My letter confirms that central Government will no longer fund new fixed speed cameras and encourage authorities to consider the full range of local road safety interventions, including educational and engineering solutions. I want to work with local authorities and the police on ways of making local partners accountable to local voters for the decisions they take on the location of cameras and the scale of camera operations, and for the financial consequences of those decisions. A copy of the letter has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Speed Limits: Cameras

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to require that his Department is consulted on any proposals to introduce average speed camera checks; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Penning: There are no plans to compel authorities to consult the Department for Transport prior to introducing average speed cameras. The use of cameras is a matter for highway authorities who are able to use their own resources to fund them if they wish to do so. However, I am keen to improve the transparency of camera operations and will ask authorities to make data about effectiveness and impact of individual cameras available to local people.

Vehicle Operator Services Agency

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for the future of the Vehicle Operator Services Agency.

Michael Penning: The scope for improving value for money from the Department for Transport and its Agencies is being assessed in the context of the current spending review.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan: International Assistance

David Miliband: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many micro-grants the International Security Assistance Force has made to Afghan citizens who own businesses in the last two months.

William Hague: The International Security Assistance Force has no allocated funds for 'micro-grants'.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

David Miliband: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the number of active fighters in the Haqqani network.

William Hague: We conduct regular assessments on the nature and scale of the insurgency in Afghanistan. This includes the use of International Security Assistance Force reporting and statistics.
	The Haqqani network is a familial network with its leadership based in North Waziristan. It historically operates within the Zadran tribal areas centred on Paktia, Paktika and Khost provinces. It is reliant on a committed group of insurgents which we judge to be in their hundreds, but it also has links to other insurgent groups.

Afghanistan: Politics and Government

David Miliband: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the number of reintegration shura which have taken place in  (a) Marjah and  (b) Helmand Province.

William Hague: We are aware of one public reintegration shura in Helmand. On 23 June 2010, the Deputy Governor of Helmand, Abdul Sattar, and Haji Zahir-who was at the time District Governor of Marjah-presided over a shura focused on reintegration. The shura was held at Forward Operating Base Sher Wali, in northern Marjah. It is estimated that 80-100 Marjah elders attended.
	Reintegration messages are delivered frequently by Afghan authorities throughout Helmand, at more general public shura. Reintegration messages are also provided in a range of other forums, such as at prisoner release shura and at more general district outreach events. In addition, we understand that Afghan officials and bodies frequently discuss reintegration at internal meetings.

Afghanistan: Politics and Government

David Miliband: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the absence of provincial governors from the Kabul Peace Jirga; and if he will make a statement.

William Hague: The Consultative Peace Jirga in Kabul was an inclusive event that was attended by a representative cross-section of Afghans. The 1,600 attendees comprised representatives from Parliament, Provincial Councils, Provincial and District Governors, civil society and women's groups. All Provincial and District Governors were invited, and the Conference was delayed by two days to try and enable those travelling longer distances to attend. We understand that most Provincial Governors were able to attend.
	As the Prime Minister said in his statement to the House on 14 June 2010,  Official Report, column 603, this Government will provide regular updates to the House on the progress we are making in Afghanistan.

Asia: International Cooperation

David Miliband: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made towards setting a date for the trilateral meeting between the governments of Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan; and if he will make a statement.

William Hague: The next trilateral meeting between Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan is due to be hosted in Pakistan. The Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not yet announced when this meeting will take place.

Departmental Billing

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information his Department holds on the time taken by contractors employed by it to pay the invoices of their sub-contractors under prompt payment arrangements; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not capture data covering payments between contractors and sub-contractors. All FCO contracts include the following paragraph to ensure that payments are made promptly:
	"Where the Contractor enters into a sub-contract for the provision of any part of the Services, the Contractor shall ensure that a term is included in the sub-contract which requires the Contractor to pay all sums due to the sub-contractor within a specified period, not exceeding 30 days from the date of receipt of a valid invoice as defined by the terms of that sub-contract."

English Channel

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to oppose any proposals to change the name of the English Channel at the next United Nations Conference on the Standardisation of Geographical Names.

David Lidington: The Government are not aware of any formal proposals in this regard and would vigorously oppose any such action.

European Parliament

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the written ministerial statement on European Parliament Transitionary Protocol of 6 July 2010,  Official Report, columns 6-7WS, when he expects to announce details of the process to be undertaken to elect the additional MEP for the UK.

David Lidington: Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials are consulting colleagues in government on the process to be undertaken. The Government will announce the details once this process has been completed.

European Parliament

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the written ministerial statement on European Parliament Transitionary Protocol of 6 July 2010,  Official Report, columns 6-7WS, who the British representative was at the intergovernmental conference.

David Lidington: The Intergovernmental Conference took place in the margins of the 23 June 2010 meeting of the Committee of Permanent Representatives of EU member states. Therefore, the Government's representative was Sir Kim Darroch, the UK's Permanent Representative to the EU.

European Parliament Elections

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 6 July 2010,  Official Report, columns 6-7WS, on the European Parliament Transitionary Protocol, whether the Electoral Commission was consulted on the arrangements for electing a new UK MEP before the intergovernmental conference on 23 June 2010; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: The transitionary Protocol concerning the composition of the European Parliament is a technical change to the Treaty relating to numbers of MEPs. It allows 18 extra MEPs provided for by the Lisbon Treaty to take their seats now rather than in 2014. The UK receives an extra MEP as a result.
	The Protocol does not determine how, or from which UK European parliamentary electoral region, the UK's additional MEP should be elected; rather that the MEP should be elected using one of the methods set out in the Protocol. Therefore, no prior consultation of the Electoral Commission was needed. Details of the process to be undertaken to elect the UK's extra MEP will be announced in due course, and the Electoral Commission will be consulted fully at the appropriate time, as required by the relevant legislation.

Forced Marriage

Jessica Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent estimate he has made of the number of forced marriages which occurred in the UK in 2009-10; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: The Government are clear that forced marriage is an abuse of human rights, a form of domestic violence and, where minors are involved, child abuse.
	The very nature of forced marriage means that cases often go unreported. The statistics we do have are based on the work of the Forced Marriage Unit. In calendar year 2009 the Unit dealt with 1,682 reports of possible forced marriage and, as of the end of June, has dealt with 893 in 2010. This includes cases in the UK and involving British nationals overseas. It is likely that there are many more cases that are not drawn to the Unit's attention and we will continue to raise awareness of the help available.

Kashmir

Kris Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the prospects for peace in Kashmir; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: We discuss Kashmir with both Indian and Pakistani Government officials regularly, and make clear our hope that they can make progress on the issue. But the long standing position of the UK is that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting resolution to the situation in Kashmir, one which takes into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people. It is not for the UK to prescribe a solution or to mediate in finding one.

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the government of  (a) India,  (b) Pakistan and  (c) Israel to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Alistair Burt: We continue to call on all three countries to sign the non-proliferation treaty (NPT). Most recently the final document agreed at the NPT Review Conference in May 2010 called again for India, Pakistan, and Israel to accede to the treaty as non-nuclear-weapon states and to place all their nuclear materials and facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards. Universalisation of the NPT is a long-standing UK and EU objective.

Palestinians: Politics and Government

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has discussed with his counterpart in  (a) the government of Israel and  (b) the Palestinian Authority the evacuation notices served on members of the Palestinian Legislative Council; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: We regard East Jerusalem as occupied territory. Its Palestinian population has rights under the Geneva conventions. Forcibly transferring people out of the city for political reasons-however much we may find their views abhorrent-as Israel appears to be trying to do in this case, is illegal. The EU has raised the matter with the Israeli Government and the British ambassador to Tel Aviv has raised this with the Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister-Danny Ayalon.

Somalia

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support his Department is providing to the government of Mogadishu on  (a) the influence of al-Qaeda in Somalia,  (b) the spread of violence in East Africa and  (c) Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden.

Alistair Burt: The Government continue to support the UN-led Djibouti Peace Process and the political reconciliation efforts of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG). We do not provide direct budget support to the TFG. However we provide significant support to the African Union Mission in Somalia, which continues to play a leading role in maintaining sufficient security to allow the TFG to operate in Mogadishu. We are actively supporting the ongoing EU training mission to train Somali security forces.
	Al-Shabaab, the main insurgent group in Somalia, has self declared links to al-Qaeda and is responsible for numerous terrorist attacks in Somalia and has claimed responsibility for the 11 July 2010 bombings in Uganda. The UK talks regularly to governments in the region about countering Somali terrorism and reducing the threat it poses both in Somalia and the wider region.
	Developing internal peace and stability in Somalia will take time given the lack of state structures, but in the long term it is the best way to deny terrorists the space they need to operate. We will continue to work with international partners and the TFG to prevent Somalia from being a safe haven for terrorists and to protect UK citizens from the terrorist threat. Over the course of 2010 we will look to increase out counter-terrorism support across the region.
	On piracy, the Government regularly engage with the TFG to discuss piracy in the critical Gulf of Aden trade artery and wider Indian Ocean. This includes sponsoring TFG representation at meetings of the UK chaired working group of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia, discussing regional capability development.

Western Sahara: Politics and Government

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has made recent representations to  (a) the UN and  (b) the Government of Morocco on a referendum on the future Government of the Western Sahara.

Alistair Burt: Lord Howell discussed the question of a referendum on the future status of Western Sahara with Ambassador Christopher Ross, the UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy for Western Sahara on 22 June 2010. Following their meeting, Ambassador Ross also discussed the issue in more detail with Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Arts Industry

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what his most recent assessment is of the effects on the arts industry of the recession.

Edward Vaizey: Our Department monitors the impact of the recession across our sectors closely.
	While some areas of the arts industry continue to perform well-the resilience of London theatre must be praised-other areas, such as private giving, have been negatively impacted.
	We will continue to liaise with the sector and ensure the arts receive appropriate support during this difficult time.

Departmental ICT

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agency and non-departmental public bodies spent on information and communication technology in each year since 1997.

John Penrose: Since 1997 this Department has spent the following resource costs on information and communication technology:
	
		
			  £ 
			  Financial year  IT  Telecoms 
			 2009-10 3,092,657 429,012 
			 2008-09 2,979,108 409,388 
			 2007-08 2,753,954 491,270 
			 2006-07 2,791,334 329,721 
			 2005-06 2,648,343 526,620 
			 2004-05 2,702,482 464,993 
			 2003-04 2,813,851 455,710 
			 2002-03 1,884,341 414,913 
			 2001-02 1,447,426 427,356 
			 2000-01 1,156,933 592,356 
			 1999-2000 1,125,281 304,500 
			 1998-97 1,107,277 383,766 
			 1997-98 741,251 447,765 
		
	
	Information on the amount spent by the DCMS agency and arm's length bodies is held by them and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Manpower

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many staff his Department employed on  (a) full-time and  (b) part-time contracts in each year since 1997.

John Penrose: The information relating to part-time and full-time staff is set out in the table.
	
		
			  As at 1 April:  (a) Full-time  (b) Part-time  Total 
			 2004 429 35 464 
			 2005 480 45 525 
			 2006 480 41 521 
			 2007 494 33 527 
			 2008 432 45 477 
			 2009 418 49 467 
			 2010 429 50 479 
		
	
	The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is unable to provide data prior to 2004 as electronic records were only held from 2004 onwards.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agency and non-departmental public bodies spent on hospitality in each year since 1997.

John Penrose: All expenditure on entertainment is incurred in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.
	
		
			  Financial year  Total (£) 
			 2009-10 110,024 
			 2008-09 84,544 
			 2007-08 75,850 
			 2006-07 72,819 
			 2005-06 70,535 
			 2004-05 97,803 
			 2003-04 90,007 
			 2002-03 50,948 
			 2001-02 32,587 
			 2000-01 51,667 
			 1999-2000 33,318 
			 1998-97 24,497 
			 1997-98 15,269.81 
		
	
	Information on the amount spent by the DCMS agency and arm's length bodies is held by them and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Digital Broadcasting: Radio

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had on the  (a) financial and  (b) other effects on local radio stations of the switch off of analogue radio.

Edward Vaizey: The Government have no plans to switch off analogue radio as FM would be retained for small local commercial and community radio stations.
	The Government have published a Digital Radio Action Plan which sets out a range of considerations before a decision on whether to set a radio switchover date can be made. This includes an assessment of the costs and benefits, to both the industry and consumer, of a digital radio switchover programme.

Libraries

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what his most recent estimate is of the average number of people in each age group who use a local library each month.

Edward Vaizey: Information related to the percentage of the population in each age group who use libraries each year is collated in the DCMS Taking Part Survey. The survey does not record data on a month by month basis. The most recent published data which include a breakdown of age groups are presented in the table:
	
		
			  January to December 2009 
			  Age group  Percentage 
			 16-24 31.5 
			 25-44 39.3 
			 45-64 39.5 
			 67-74 38.8 
			 75+ 33.4 
			 Total 37.6

London 2012 Business Network

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether he plans to review the operation of the London 2012 Business Network.

Mark Prisk: I have been asked to reply.
	The London 2012 Business Network enables a diverse range of businesses across the UK to access contract opportunities from the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the support they need to compete for them. More than 6,500 contract opportunities have been made available through CompeteFor, the electronic brokerage system for London 2012 Games contracts; 48,000 businesses have received business support as a result of registering for the service; and this has been accompanied by an extensive programme of business engagement, informing over 10,000 businesses in a series of events across the UK of the opportunities and how to get involved. I support this valuable work but will continue to look at opportunities to ensure we maximize the benefit that businesses throughout the UK obtain from the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Public Libraries: Expenditure

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the amount of public funding allocated to public libraries in  (a) England and  (b) Coventry in each year since 2005.

Edward Vaizey: The expenditure on library services in  (a) England and  (b) Coventry, can be seen in the table:
	
		
			  Net current expenditure( 1)  on library service by year 
			  £000 
			   Coventry  England 
			 2005-06 5,978 867,115 
			 2006-07 5,762 889,558 
			 2007-08 5,983 908,406 
			 2008-09 5,427 928,143 
			 2009-10 5,492 951,170 
			 (1) Net current expenditure is defined here as the costs of staffing, heating, lighting and cleaning, together with expenditure on goods and services consumed within the year. This expenditure is offset by income from sales, fees and charges and other (non-grant) income.  Source: This information was provided by the Communities and Local Government Revenue Account (RA) budget returns. 
		
	
	In addition, the Museums Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) has used DCMS grant in aid to develop, share and promote best practice in libraries and has supported libraries to deliver projects such as Boys into Books and Book Ahead which are funded by the Department for Education. Public libraries have also benefited from lottery funding and private finance initiative credits which have been invested in individual projects.

Television: Licensing

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what recent representations he has received on the television licence fee.

Edward Vaizey: I am aware of representations on the licence fee made by members of the public in response to the Government publication 'The Coalition: our programme for government'. Furthermore, the Department regularly receives correspondence on the licence fee.

Theatres: Young People

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what expenditure his Department has incurred on the provision of  (a) theatre,  (b) opera,  (c) musical and  (d) film for tickets to young people in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Edward Vaizey: My Department launched the A Night Less Ordinary scheme in February 2009 to provide free theatre tickets to young people under 26. The scheme initially cost £2.5 million, with a £100 000 evaluation running alongside.
	In June 2010 we announced that the A Night Less Ordinary scheme was to be curtailed following a review of pilot schemes across government. We expect that £108,000 will be returned to the Department following curtailment.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Civil Partnerships

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will bring forward proposals to amend the law to allow religious music and readings at civil weddings and civil partnerships.

Lynne Featherstone: Civil partnership and civil marriage registrations are entirely secular in nature and prohibited from taking place on religious premises or containing any religious language, or religious music.
	An amendment made during the passage of the Equality Act 2010 removed the express prohibition on civil partnership registrations taking place on religious premises. In response to this amendment, the Government committed to talking to those with a key interest in this issue about what the next stage should be for civil partnerships. This will include consideration of whether civil partnerships should be allowed to include religious readings, music and symbols. This commitment was made clear in the Government's published document 'Working for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Equality', published on 16 June 2010.
	We will begin this exercise before the summer parliamentary recess.

Departmental Official Cars

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her estimate is of the mileage travelled by each Minister in her Department in a Government car in  (a) May and  (b) June 2010.

Lynne Featherstone: Departments are unable to estimate the mileage travelled by each Minister in a Government car in May and June 2010 because this information is not recorded.

Domestic Violence

Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations her Department has received on the level of the conviction rates in cases of domestic violence.

James Brokenshire: No recent representations have been received on this issue. The proportion of domestic violence prosecutions ending in conviction rose to 72% in 2009-10 up from 59.7% in 2005-06.

Domestic Violence: Refuges

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will meet organisations assisting women subject to domestic abuse who have no recourse to public funds to discuss a permanent successor programme to follow her Department's pilot project on access to refuge accommodation; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: A Home Office pilot project for victims of domestic violence with no recourse to public funds commenced in November 2009 and was scheduled to run to the end of August 2010. On 16 July, the Home Secretary announced an extension to the pilot until the end of March 2011 and a commitment to find a long-term funding solution to the issue. In identifying a long-term solution, we will consult with a range of organisations assisting this group of victims. The pilot is monitored on a monthly basis and a full evaluation will take place following completion of the pilot.
	A number of representations have been received from MPs and charitable organisations regarding the pilot.

Domestic Violence: Refuges

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the outcomes to date of the pilot scheme implemented in December 2009 and extended until August 2010 to provide women not eligible for funding under the no public recourse rule with access to a safe place;
	(2)  what representations she has received from  (a) charitable organisations and bodies and  (b) local authorities on the pilot scheme implemented in December 2009 and extended until August 2010 to provide women not eligible for funding under the no public recourse rule with access to a safe place;
	(3)  what plans she has for the future of the scheme implemented in December 2009 to provide women not eligible under the no public recourse rule with access to a safe place.

James Brokenshire: A Home Office pilot project for victims of domestic violence with no recourse to public funds commenced in November 2009 and was scheduled to run to the end of August 2010. On 16 July, the Home Secretary announced an extension to the pilot until the end of March 2011 and a commitment to find a long-term funding solution to the issue. The pilot is monitored on a monthly basis and a full evaluation will take place following completion of the pilot.

Firearms

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking to control the availability of guns in England.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office works closely with the National Ballistics Intelligence Service (NABIS) and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) on gun crime issues. NABIS and ACPO monitor trends in the illegal use of firearms and work with local police forces to ensure that they have the intelligence and support they need to address gun crime in their area. NABIS is currently actively looking at the illegal use of shotguns, including how they move into the criminal market, how criminals use them and what can be done by law enforcement and Government to prevent this from happening.
	There are a range of strict controls on the lawful possession of firearms, including a ban on handguns. Chief officers of police must be satisfied that an applicant has a good reason for wanting a particular firearm and is fit to be entrusted with it before issuing a certificate.

Forensic Science: DNA

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she has had with the Association of Chief Police Officers on the 2007 review of forensic practices involving low copy number DNA.

James Brokenshire: Since I took office, I have had no discussions with the Association of Chief Police Officers about low copy number DNA.

Immigration Controls

Alan Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to publish the terms of reference of her Department's consultation on the proposed limits on non-EU economic immigration; which groups and individuals she plans to consult; and whether the responses received will be made public.

Theresa May: holding answer 28 June 2010
	On 28 June we launched a 12-week consultation with businesses and other interested sectors on our plans for implementing annual limits on non-EU economic migration. The consultation document is available on the UK Border Agency website. We will publish a response to the consultation, including a summary of the responses, in due course. At the same time, I commissioned the independent Migration Advisory Committee to advise the Government on the level at which the first annual limit should be set. The Migration Advisory Committee will also consult widely with business and other interested sectors.

Immigration: Departmental Co-ordination

Alan Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she has had with the  (a) Secretary of State for Education,  (b) Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and  (c) Minister of State for Universities and Science on the planned cap on net immigration; and what the outcome of those discussions was.

Theresa May: holding answer 12 July 2010
	I have conducted discussions with colleagues across Government regarding the Government's plans for limiting economic migration from outside the EEA. In particular I discussed the plans with ministerial colleagues at the recent Home Affairs Cabinet Committee. The outcome of those discussions was set out in the statement I made to the House on 28 June 2010,  Official Report, columns 31-32 WS.

Immobilisation of Vehicles

Rosie Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to announce the outcome of her review of wheel clamping legislation.

Lynne Featherstone: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 15 June 2010,  Official Report, column 385W.

Immobilisation of Vehicles

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what provisions in statute law govern  (a) wheel clamping and  (b) other forms of vehicle immobilisation on (i) public and (ii) private land.

Lynne Featherstone: The Home Office is responsible for legislation on vehicle immobilisation activity on private land carried out by the private security industry, in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Under the Private Security Industry Act 2001, vehicle immobilisers involved in immobilising, blocking in or towing away a vehicle with the intention of charging a release fee are required to hold a licence for the purpose issued by the Security Industry Authority. These provisions do not apply in Scotland, where vehicle immobilisation is effectively banned through a decision of the Scottish courts.
	Paragraphs 3 and 3A of Schedule 2 to the 2001 Act set out the circumstances in which the licensing requirement applies to vehicle immobilisers. The provisions apply to operatives working in-house and on contract and include those responsible for taking payment of the release fee.
	Sections 42 to 44 of the Crime and Security Act 2010 amended the 2001 Act to provide for a licensing requirement applying to vehicle immobilisation businesses. These provisions have not yet been implemented.
	The legislation concerning vehicle immobilisation on public land is primarily the responsibility of the Department for Transport.

Offensive Weapons

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking to reduce the number of knives on the streets.

James Brokenshire: This year, the Government are providing £4 million to local areas to support their work in tackling serious youth violence, including knife crime. We will also reduce bureaucracy to give police forces greater freedom to target their activities according to local need, including tackling knife crime and we will work with Department of Health to ensure that hospitals will share non-confidential information with the police so they can target activity in gun and knife crime hot spots.
	In addition, a Home Office Community Fund is providing 144 small local community-based organisations with £10,000 each this year to stop young people from starting to commit violence, or to help young people out of it. The activities being delivered focus on mentoring, outreach or education work with young people involved in, or at risk of becoming involved in gun/knife crime or gang activity, or support schemes for siblings, families and parents of young people involved in or at risk of involvement in gang or knife violence.

Offensive Weapons

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with representatives of businesses on controls on the sale of knives.

James Brokenshire: The Home Secretary has not yet had any discussions with representatives of retail businesses on the sale of knives. Home Office officials continue to work with local police and trading standards officers and with representatives of retail businesses to ensure that the law on the underage sale of knives is properly enforced.

Sexual Offences

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many British citizens who have committed sexual crimes against children overseas have been subjected to notification requirements under section 97 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the number of British citizens convicted of offences related to sexual misdemeanours resident  (a) overseas and  (b) at an unknown location.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 19 July 2010
	This question cannot be answered readily and accurately from the Violent and Sex Offenders Register (ViSOR). However, on the convicted person's return to the UK, a summons can be served upon them to present themselves at a magistrates court for a notification order to be applied. The court must be satisfied that a notifiable offence has been committed abroad and then a notification order will be made. This order then requires the individual to register on the Violent and Sex Offenders Register.

Sojourner Project

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if her Department will continue funding the Sojourner Project beyond September 2010.

James Brokenshire: A Home Office pilot project for victims of domestic violence with no recourse to public funds commenced in November 2009 and was scheduled to run to the end of August 2010. On 16 July, the Home Secretary announced an extension to the pilot until the end of March 2011 and a commitment to find a long-term funding solution to the issue. The pilot is monitored on a monthly basis and a full evaluation will take place following completion of the pilot.

Violent and Sex Offender Register

Ian Swales: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many additions to the sex offender register have been made other than by a recommendation at the time of sentencing in each year since 1997.

James Brokenshire: The notification requirements (also known as the sex offenders' register) of part 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 are an automatic requirement for offenders who receive a conviction, caution or reprimand for certain sexual offences. There is no "recommendation" which leads to someone to becoming subject to the notification requirements.
	The vast majority of offenders subject to notification requirements listed in the Sexual Offences Act 2003 will have been convicted of a relevant offence, either in the UK or abroad. There is a very small number who have been subject to a Risk of Sexual Harm Order (RoSHO) and breached the conditions. This would make them subject to notification requirements. We are unable to ascertain this figure from the Violent and Sex Offenders Register (ViSOR).
	Offenders who are made subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) or a Notification Order also become subject to notification requirements.
	The number of SOPOs granted in England and Wales are as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2005-06 937 
			 2006-07 1,114 
			 2007-08 1,440 
			 2008-09 1,512 
		
	
	However, we are unable to ascertain from these figures, the number of offenders who became subject to SOPOs at the time of sentencing or at any other time.
	The number of Notification Orders granted in England and Wales are as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2004-05 22 
			 2005-06 37 
			 2006-07 62 
			 2007-08 70 
			 2008-09 72

Violent and Sex Offender Register: Offences Against Children

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether British citizens who have committed sexual crimes against children overseas are required to register on the Violent and Sex Offenders Register.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 19 July 2010
	There is no requirement for British citizens who have been convicted of sexual crimes against children overseas to register on the Violent and Sex Offenders Register. However, on the convicted person's return to the UK, a summons can be served upon them to present themselves at a magistrates court for a notification order to be applied. The court must be satisfied that a notifiable offence has been committed abroad and then a notification order will be made. This order then requires the individual to register on the Violent and Sex Offenders Register.

HEALTH

Departmental Billing

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department holds on the time taken by contractors employed by it to pay the invoices of their sub-contractors under prompt payment arrangements; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The Department does not collect this information centrally.
	However, all departmental contracts contain the following clause:
	"Where the Contractor enters into a sub-contract for the provision of any part of the Services, the Contractor shall ensure that a term is included in the sub-contract which requires the Contractor to pay all sums due to the sub-contractor within a specified period, not exceeding 30 days from the date of receipt of a valid invoice as defined by the terms of that sub-contract."
	This clause is consistent with Office of Government Commerce best practice on payments to sub-contractors.

Departmental Civil Servants

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many employees of his Department attended Civil Service Live in  (a) 2008,  (b) 2009 and  (c) 2010; and what estimate he has made of the (i) employee working hours taken up by and (ii) cost to his Department of such attendance in each such year.

Simon Burns: Civil Service Live events are owned and managed by the private company Dods (the publishers of Civil Service World), who bear all of the financial risks.
	The overall delegate numbers for Civil Service Live in 2008, 2009 and 2010 were approximately 6,000, 8,000 and 7,700 respectively. Delegate registration is managed centrally by Dods. Departments do not keep a detailed record of every member of staff that attends.
	Civil servants do not pay to attend Civil Service Live events. There will have been some travel and subsistence costs for delegates, which will be paid for by individual Departments. Civil servants attending the event will have followed the travel and subsistence guidelines set by their Departments.

Dietary Supplements

Iain Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what representations he has made to the European Commission on the time taken by the European Food Safety Authority to process assessments of the health benefits claimed for food products and supplements;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of  (a) the number of and  (b) the costs to businesses of changes to the previously announced timescale for assessing the claims for the health benefits of food products and supplements by the European Food Safety Authority.

Anne Milton: The unprecedented number of health claims applications (more than 4,000) from businesses has meant that the timetable for European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) completing its assessments and the development of the European community list (31 January 2010) has slipped.
	EFSA has decided to issue its opinions in batches, and has rejected requests from the Commission and others to limit publication to a single list: the first batch was published in October 2009 and EFSA predicts that the final batch will be published in 2012. Several European Commissioners past and present have made clear that the Commission will authorise claims in batches, to give clarity to the market and ensure consumer protection, and that it is not willing to change its position. We have not therefore made representations to the European Commission on this matter but Food Standards Agency (FSA) officials are working to ensure that claims are authorised appropriately.
	The FSA compiled a Regulatory Impact Assessment on the nutrition and health claims regulation in 2007. It has not carried out a formal assessment of whether any costs to business will result from changes to the planned timetable for assessing health claim applications however officials are willing to work closely with businesses and with enforcement bodies to minimise any negative impact on businesses.

Doctors and Nurses: Foreign Workers

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what standards his Department requires in respect of  (a) competence in the English language and  (b) professional standards from (i) doctors and (ii) nurses from other EU member states coming to work in the UK.

Anne Milton: 'HSC1999/137: Employment of European Economic Area (EEA) nationals ensuring language competency' makes it clear that employers are responsible for ensuring that the staff they employ have the necessary language and communication skills for the specific role to which they are being appointed. The precise requirements for different posts are a matter for employers as they are likely to vary depending on the specific role being undertaken.
	All registered health care professionals from the EEA who are practicing their profession anywhere in the United Kingdom are required to observe the professional standards set by the relevant UK professional regulatory body. For doctors the professional regulatory body is the General Medical Council and for nurses it is the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Food Standards Agency

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health by what means he plans to implement his proposal to abolish the Food Standards Agency.

Anne Milton: We have no plans to abolish the Food Standards Agency. I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 20 July on the machinery of government changes.

Food Standards Agency

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff were located at each office of the Food Standards Agency in each of the last five years.

Anne Milton: The average number of staff located at each office of the Food Standards Agency over the last five financial years was as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
			   England  Scotland  Wales  NI 
			 2009-10 625 75 35 38 
			 2008-09 629 73 34 35 
			 2007-08 684 68 27 34 
			 2006-07 646 68 23 33 
			 2005-06 596 73 23 29

General Practitioners

Adrian Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 8 July 2010,  Official Report, column 400W, on general practitioners, whether information on the number of GP appointments for patients with minor ailments is collected locally.

Simon Burns: Information on consultations for minor ailments is held by general practitioner practices on their clinical systems. Whether or how this information is shared more widely is a matter for local decision.

Health Services: Standards

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has undertaken for benchmarking purposes into health service provision in other countries in the last 12 months.

Anne Milton: The Department performs international comparisons as part of its routine business and in policy development. In addition the Department commissions research using international comparisons from both inside and outside the Department, which is used to learn potential lessons from other countries. By comparing ourselves with other countries, we can identify particular areas where, internationally, we are underperforming. We can then examine how different countries have approached similar issues, learn from their solutions, and improve care in the national health service.
	In the last 12 months the Department has worked with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development on Health Care Quality Indicators, commissioned work from RAND and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine on a variety of international comparisons projects, and contributed funds to the World Health Organisation for work on Health System Performance Assessment in the WHO European Region. An internal project is being carried out on International Cancer Benchmarking and the National Cancer Director, Professor Mike Richards, has undertaken a study of international variations in drug usage, and the causes for any such variation. His report will be published shortly.

Macfarlane Trust: Finance

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has for future funding of the Macfarlane Trust.

Anne Milton: There are currently no planned changes to the future funding of the Macfarlane Trust.

Mental Health Services: Ex-servicemen

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps are being taken to assist veterans with combat stress which is diagnosed a decade or more after discharge from the armed forces;
	(2)  what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of family breakdown arising from veterans' undiagnosed mental health problems.

Paul Burstow: No estimate of the cost of family breakdown arising from veterans' undiagnosed mental health problems has been made.
	The Government are committed to providing effective, through-life, mental health services for our service and ex-service personnel. The Prime Minister has asked the hon. Member for South West Wiltshire (Dr Murrison) to conduct an independent study into the provision of Ministry of Defence and national health service support and services to the armed forces and ex-service personnel and to make recommendations for improvement, particularly in the area of mental health.
	The Government have recently confirmed an additional £2 million to allow the Department of Health to work with strategic partners, including Combat Stress, to ensure that the best treatment and support services are available for veterans with mental health problems-including those who have left the armed forces several years ago-and to ensure a smooth transition to civilian life.

NHS: Abortion

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the  (a) number and  (b) cost of abortions carried out for non-EU nationals on the NHS in 2009.

Anne Milton: Abortions performed under Section 1(4) are rare in recent years and in each year since 2002 there have been less than 10(1) cases (between 0 and nine). The Department does not collect information on the cost of such emergency abortions.
	(1) Totals are suppressed in line with Office for National Statistics guidance on the release of abortion statistics, 2005.

NHS: Local Government

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the statement of 12 July 2010,  Official Report, columns 661-681, on NHS White Paper, 
	(1)  what  (a) funding and  (b) other resources will be provided to local authorities to assist them to agree local strategies with the NHS;
	(2)  over what timescale local authorities will be given control over local health improvement budgets;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of expenditure on local health improvement budgets for 2010-11; and what the forecast expenditure is for  (a) 2011-12 and  (b) 2012-13.

Anne Milton: Later this year we will publish a White Paper setting out further details of the new Public Health Service (PHS) and our programme for public health. Primary care trusts responsibilities for local health improvement will transfer to local authorities, who will employ Directors of Public Health jointly appointed with the PHS. As set out in the draft Structural Reform Plan published on the Department's website, implementation of the PHS will begin in the financial year 2011-12 and it will be fully established by April 2012. In 2012-13 local ring-fenced public health budgets will be allocated in shadow form and real allocations will be issued for 2013-14.
	The Department will create a ring-fenced public health budget and, within this, local Directors of Public Health will be responsible for health improvement funds allocated according to relative population health need.
	The local ring-fenced public health budget will be based on current identifiable expenditure by the NHS and the Department. The allocation formula for those funds will include a new "health premium" designed to promote action to improve population-wide health and reduce health inequalities. Work is currently under way to determine baseline spending and the details of how local ring-fenced public health budgets will be determined. Further details will be made available in due course.

Patients' Rights: EU Action

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department plans to participate in the European Project for Assessing Patients' Rights.

Simon Burns: I will reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.
	 Substantive answer from Anne Milton to Annette Brooke:
	The Government have no plans to participate in the European Project for Assessing Patients' Rights.
	The project is linked to proposals for a European Union-wide constitution for patients and significant harmonisation of health systems and patient entitlements. We consider this to be contrary to member states' rights to organise their health systems under Article 168 of the Treaty.

Streptococcal Infections: Babies

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many newborn babies were diagnosed with group B streptococcal infections in  (a) London and  (b) England in each of the last five years.

Anne Milton: Data are not available by region as this is not a routine data output.
	The Health Protection Agency (HPA) receives reports of bloodstream infections associated with group B  streptococci.
	The HPA has published data for England for infants aged under 90 days as detailed in the following table.
	
		
			  Number and rate (per 1,000 live births) of group B streptococcal bacteraemia reports in infants 0 to 90 days old: England, 2006 - 08 
			   All cases (0 to 90  days old)  Early onset (0 to 6 days old)  Late onset (7 to 90 days old) 
			   Number  Rate (95% confidence interval (CI))  Number  Rate (95% confidence interval (CI))  Number  Rate (95% confidence interval (CI)) 
			 2006 366 0.58 (0.52-0.64) 221 0.35 (0.30-0.40) 145 0.23 (0.19-0.27) 
			 2007 383 0.60 (0.54-0.67) 235 0.37 (0.32-0.42) 148 0.23 (0.20-0.27) 
			 2008 439 0.67 (0.61-0.74) 262 0.40 (0.35-0.45) 177 0.27 (0.23-0.31) 
			  Notes: 1. CI = Confidence Interval or 95% confident the true proportion lies within the range given. 2. Data for 2005 and 2006 are only available for infants, i.e. children aged under one year).

Sunbeds: Young People

Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to bring into force each of the powers to protect young people from sunbed use available under the Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010.

Anne Milton: The Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010 (the Act) comes into force on 8 April 2011. This purpose of the Act is to prevent people under the age of 18 from using sunbeds on commercial premises, by making it an offence for sunbed operators to allow people under the age of 18 access to sunbeds on their premises.
	Regulation making powers (for example the one requiring that the use of sunbeds to be supervised) would begin as soon as possible after the Bill became an Act. Departmental officials are considering options to take forward the powers to regulate and may make recommendations to Ministers in due course. However they are giving priority to implementing the main provisions of the Act (namely those that prohibit sunbed operators from allowing those under the age of 18 from using their sunbeds). However, this parliamentary question is an illustration of the continuing interest there is in this topic within Parliament and beyond.
	We are currently considering the regulation making powers contained in the Act.

Sutton and Merton Primary Care Trust: Finance

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the projected deficit of NHS Sutton and Merton is for  (a) 2011-12,  (b) 2012-13 and  (c) 2013-14; when he expects to receive the full strategic business case for upgrades to Nelson Hospital; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The Department has collected financial plans from national health service organisations for 2010-11 and 2011-12. Sutton and Merton primary care trust has planned to break even in 2011-12. The Department does not hold projected figures for 2012-13 or 2013-14.
	The Department has not received a business case for the Nelson hospital. Business cases must first be assessed by the relevant strategic health authority prior to being submitted to the Department.

Swine Flu: Death

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the number of people who died as a result of  (a) misdiagnosis of bacteriological infections as swine flu and  (b) not being prescribed antibiotics during the swine flu pandemic.

Anne Milton: We do not hold estimates of the data that have been requested and we do not hold baseline data from which bacteriological deaths can be estimated.
	It is well accepted that there are no symptoms or signs that are considered so characteristic of influenza that it makes the diagnosis completely certain. In addition, the signs and symptoms associated with influenza also apply to a host of other viral and bacterial conditions. This presents major challenges for clinicians during seasonal influenza.
	During the pandemic, in common with normal seasonal flu, data were collected on the proportion of subsets of the population presenting with a flu-like illness that were actually laboratory confirmed. Like seasonal influenza, this ranged from 10-60%, depending on the age of the patient and the point in the pandemic that they presented.

Swine Flu: Disease Control

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when remaining stocks of swine influenza  (a) antivirals and  (b) vaccines will pass their use-by dates;
	(2)  what proportion of swine influenza  (a) antivirals and  (b) vaccines were used; and what the estimated value is of the unused medicines in each case;
	(3)  how much was spent on  (a) antivirals and  (b) vaccines for the H1N1 virus.

Anne Milton: The expiry dates of the remaining stocks of antivirals depend on their original purchase dates. The initial Tamiflu procurement completed in 2006 and the procurement in 2008-09 had a five-year shelf life. Tamiflu stock bought since July 2009 has a seven-year shelf life. The Relenza stocks procured in 2008-09 had a seven-year shelf life although we are discussing shelf life extensions with the supplier. The remaining stocks of vaccines have shelf lives through to October 2011.
	The antiviral stock usage for England constituted approximately 6% of the amount procured. The usage of antivirals in England includes stock issued through the National Pandemic Flu Service, general practitioners and other avenues. The vaccine stock usage for England constituted approximately 45% of the amount procured. The usage of vaccines in England includes all the stock sent out to the national health service and a donation to the World Health Organisation.
	The values of the unused antivirals and vaccines cannot be disclosed as this information is commercial in confidence.
	The spend on the response to the pandemic, as set out in the independent review of the UK response to the 2009 influenza pandemic, is £587 million. This publication can be found at:
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/ukresilience/ccs/news/100701-flu-pandemic-review.aspx
	The spend on response includes antivirals consumed, vaccine and associated administration costs, consumables used, the operating costs for systems and infrastructure including the National Pandemic Flu Service, additional Health Protection Agency costs and extra costs required for swine flu related communications.
	The spend on preparedness was £655 million. This includes antivirals, antibiotics and consumables which continue to be held for future use, the development of the systems and infrastructure and the advance purchase agreements for vaccines signed in 2007.

Swine Flu: Vaccination

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate has been made of the number of lives saved as a result of the vaccination programme against influenza A subtype H1N1; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: In her independent review of the 2009 influenza pandemic, Dame Deirdre Hine noted that this pandemic
	"was the first where the United Kingdom had a specific vaccine available for use while the virus was still causing disease in the nation".
	In addition, at the time when decisions about the procurement of pandemic vaccine were required she noted that
	"uncertainty remained about all aspects of the influenza outbreak, and although data was being collected and analysed, there was little confidence that the severity or infectivity could be predicted".
	The total number of deaths from influenza A (H1N1) in England from the start of the pandemic in England to 18 March 2010 was reported in the Hine report as 342.
	A study published by the Health Protection Agency, Imperial College London and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine following the end of the second epidemic wave of influenza A (H1N1) has estimated that the influenza A (H1N1) vaccination programme may have prevented between about 230,000 and 710,000 cases and between 26 and 67 deaths from influenza A (H1N1) in England (there are no similar estimates for the United Kingdom). These estimates are based upon a number of assumptions about the vaccination programme and the performance of the vaccine, including that the uptake of vaccine in clinical risk groups would reach 70%, by early November 2009. In fact, the uptake of vaccine in the clinical risk groups was about 30 per cent, by late December 2009. Therefore, the number of cases and deaths prevented may be of a lower range than these estimates. A published Canadian study of the influenza A (H1N1) vaccination programme in Ontario suggested that vaccinating 30% of the population of that province would prevent about 35 deaths.
	The study published by the Health Protection Agency, Imperial College London and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine showed that the vaccination strategy that was employed in practice would save most lives.

Swine Flu: Vaccination

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his most recent assessment is of the efficacy of the influenza A subtype H1N1 vaccine  (a) as a prophylactic and  (b) in reducing the symptoms of swine influenza.

Anne Milton: Unpublished data by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) suggest that in England the influenza A (H1N1) vaccination is likely to have been at least as effective as the usual seasonal influenza vaccinations when the vaccines have been well matched to the circulating influenza strains (around 70% effective at preventing influenza). As with seasonal influenza vaccines, influenza A (H1N1) vaccine is likely to be less effective in older people.
	The HPA is seeking to publish a detailed analysis of these data in the peer-reviewed scientific literature.
	Influenza A (H1N1) vaccine effectiveness is being assessed in terms of influenza that may have been prevented not by the reduction in severity of symptoms of influenza. However, as well as preventing influenza, an effective vaccine is likely to reduce the symptoms of influenza for those that develop the disease.

Wharfedale Hospital

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for the future of Wharfedale hospital.

Simon Burns: It is for Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust to ensure that the Wharfedale hospital provides modern, personalised, and responsive patient care of a consistently high quality that is equally accessible to all patients.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Departmental Civil Servants

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many employees of his Department attended Civil Service Live in  (a) 2008,  (b) 2009 and  (c) 2010; and what estimate he has made of the (i) employee working hours taken up and (ii) cost to his Department of such attendance in each such year.

Bob Neill: Civil Service Live events are owned and managed by the private company Dods (the publishers of Civil Service World), who bear all of the financial risks.
	The overall delegate numbers for Civil Service Live in 2008, 2009 and 2010 were approximately 6,000, 8,000 and 7,700 respectively. Delegate registration is managed centrally by Dods. We do not keep a detailed record of every member of staff that attends.
	Civil servants do not pay to attend Civil Service Live events. There will have been some travel and subsistence costs for delegates, which will be paid for by Communities and Local Government (CLG). Civil servants attending the event will have followed the travel and subsistence guidelines set by CLG.
	Travel and subsistence is approved locally in accordance with departmental procedures and guidance and costs have to be met from within agreed budgets for general administrative expenditure. Unfortunately there would be a disproportionate cost in obtaining detailed information from local line managers.

Departmental Equality

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department has spent  (a) in total and  (b) on staff costs on promoting equality and diversity in each of the last three years for which figures are available; and how many people are employed by his Department for this purpose.

Bob Neill: All public bodies are required to be compliant with equality legislation and so resource is allocated to ensure the Department meets its statutory obligations.
	In 2008-09 the budget for promoting equality and diversity was £69,000. For the years 2009-10 and 2010-11 the allocated budget was £72,000.
	The projected costs for the three staff working on work force equalities totals £126,000 for the financial year 2010-11. As a consequence of staff turnover and restructuring of the function it has not been possible to calculate the staff costs for the financial years 2008-09 and 2009-10.

Departmental Legislation

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 28 June 2010,  Official Report, column 375W, on the Decentralisation and Localism Bill, if he will estimate the number of his Department's officials who have been assigned to work on the Decentralisation and Localisation Bill.

Greg Clark: This is a major piece of legislation spanning many housing, planning and local government issues. A wide range of officials from across the Department are contributing to preparing for the Bill.

Departmental Manpower

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many staff worked in his Department's ministerial support office on  (a) 1 May 2010 and  (b) 1 July 2010.

Bob Neill: holding answer 5 July 2010
	The number of staff in ministerial private offices on  (a) 1 May 2010 was 32. On  (b) 1 July 2010 the number was 30. The latter figure is unchanged from the answer I gave my hon. Friend on 8 June 2010,  Official Report, columns 127-28 W. This is fewer than the arrangements inherited from the last Government.

Departmental Official Cars

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which Ministers in his Department have used an allocated ministerial car to travel between the Department and the House of Commons on each day since 21 May 2010.

Bob Neill: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for West Bromwich East (Mr Watson) on 8 June 2010,  Official Report, column 128W.
	All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code.

Departmental Official Cars

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his estimate is of the mileage travelled by each Minister in his Department in a Government car in  (a) May and  (b) June 2010.

Bob Neill: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Mike Penning) on 13 July 2010,  Official Report, column 624W.

Departmental Operating Costs

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he has taken to reduce the cost of running his Department since his appointment.

Bob Neill: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for Nottingham East (Chris Leslie) on 21 June 2010,  Official Report, columns 23-24W, which sets out the savings being delivered by my Department through reducing waste.
	Running costs savings are being delivered through implementation of spending controls, including:
	A freeze on new advertising, marketing, consultancy and research spend.
	A freeze on civil service recruitment and increased controls on temporary and interim staff.
	Implementation of the civil service pay freeze as announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 22 June.
	A freeze on all new ICT spend above £1 million.
	My Department is also renegotiating core contracts, and is centralising procurement for commodity goods and services. Furthermore, the Department is implementing extended controls on new property lease and lease extensions.

Departmental Pay

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was paid in remuneration in total to civil servants in his Department in 2009-10.

Bob Neill: Details of the remuneration paid to all employees in Communities and Local Government is set out in 'Section 4: Remuneration Report', of the Department's Resource Accounts published on 9 July 2010:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/clgresourceaccounts0910

Departmental Training

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what training has been provided for Ministers in his Department since the formation of the present administration; and at what cost.

Bob Neill: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude) to the hon. Member for West Bromwich East (Mr Watson) on 3 June 2010,  Official Report, columns 51-52W. The National School of Government is funded through its Core Learning Programme to deliver induction and other training to Ministers, and there is no separate charge to Departments.
	In addition, the Department's Communications Directorate has also provided a training session. There was no charge to the Department.

Departmental Travel

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his  (a) Department and its predecessors and (b) its agencies and non-departmental public bodies spent on travel for employees in each year since 1997.

Bob Neill: The following table shows total spend on travel for the last two financial years for  (a) the Department and  (b) its agencies and non-departmental bodies. Details of expenditure in earlier years could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  £ 
			   2008-09  2009-10 
			 Communities and Local Government 2,714,550 2,960,970 
			 Government Office Network 1,231,567 1,575,323 
			 Planning Inspectorate 2,521,743 2,325,674 
			 Fire Service College 198,472 318,377 
			 Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre 43,880 43,880 
			 Housing and Communities Agency 1,563,079 916,071 
			 Ordnance Survey 1,247,937 1,211,097 
			 FireBuy 66,749 87,076 
			 Audit Commission 5,231,402 4,119,205 
			 LEASE 2,525 14,897 
			 Valuation Tribunal Service 164,230 214,455 
			 Tenant Service Authority 139,344 988,969 
			 Independent Housing Ombudsman 44,011 37,653 
			 Standards Board 742,599 620,501 
			 London Thames Gateway Development Corporation 67,912 18,099 
			 Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation 26,323 26,323 
			 West Northamptonshire Development Corporation 134,655 110,106 
			 Total 16,140,978 15,588,676 
			  Note: These figures include expenditure on travel claimed back through staff travel and subsistence.

EU Law

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will estimate the cost to his Department of compliance with regulations arising from EU obligations in the last 12 months.

Bob Neill: Details of the cost of compliance with regulations arising from EU obligations are not held centrally and could only be supplied at disproportionate cost. The Department does not hold central records for regulations arising from EU obligations nor does it exist separately as part of a category or coding within either the Department's finance system.

Faiths Consultative Council

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government who the members are of the Faiths Consultative Council; and when it last met.

Andrew Stunell: The full Council last met on 12 January 2010, however a further two special meetings of the Council were convened on 3 March and 18 March 2010 to discuss specific topics. At that time the membership comprised:
	Al - Khoei Foundation
	Bahá'is Community of the United Kingdom
	Board of Deputies of British Jews
	British Muslim Forum
	British Sikh Consultative Forum
	Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales
	Church of England
	Churches Together in Britain and Ireland
	Evangelical Alliance, UK
	Faith Based Regeneration Network UK
	Free Churches Group, Churches Together in England
	Hindu Council UK
	Hindu Forum of Britain
	Interfaith Council, Wales
	Inter Faith Network for the UK
	Jain Samaj Europe
	Methodist Church
	Minority Ethnic Christian Affairs, Churches Together in England
	Muslim Council of Britain
	Network of Buddhist Organisations
	Network of Sikh Organisations
	Northern Ireland Interfaith Forum
	Office of the Chief Rabbi
	Scottish Churches Parliamentary Office
	Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe.

Fire Services

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will take steps to end  (a) the FiReControl project and  (b) the regionalisation of the fire service.

Bob Neill: The FiReControl project needs to be delivered to time, cost and quality. The main contractor EADS has given a clear public commitment on delivery and these contractual commitments must now be met.
	I need to be satisfied that the three delivery basics are achievable. FiReControl, as with all Government projects, is also being reviewed to ensure value for money for the taxpayer.
	The Government are committed to ensuring value-for-money for the taxpayer, improving resilience and stopping the forced regionalisation of the fire service.

Fire Services

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been incurred in cancellation changes by his Department in respect of each of the contracts awarded under the FiReControl project to date.

Bob Neill: My Department has not incurred any cancellation costs in respect of contracts awarded under the FiReControl project.

Green Belt

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he plans to take to protect the Green Belt in  (a) the UK and  (b) Coventry.

Bob Neill: Planning is a devolved matter, so this answer relates only to England. In the coalition agreement we undertook to maintain the green belt. One major step has already been taken-we have just revoked regional strategies, thus removing regional housing targets and the pressure they created to release green belt land for development. That means the protection of particular green belts is in the hands of local communities. Local planning authorities-including those around Coventry- are free to exercise the powers to protect green belt currently set out in Planning Policy Guidance Note 2, "Green Belts", including the presumption against inappropriate development on green belt land.

Homelessness

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households with children were directed into private sector accommodation under schemes to prevent homelessness in each local authority area in each of the last five years.

Grant Shapps: The information required is not held centrally.
	Although the Department collects data on the number of preventions made in the form of private sector accommodation, these figures are not collected broken down by household type.
	The Department began collecting homelessness prevention and relief data from local authorities in the April to June quarter 2008. Official statistics on homelessness prevention and relief in 2008-09 were published in November 2009 and designated as 'experimental statistics' in recognition that the preventions data is a new series of statistic still undergoing evaluation and the quality of the figures are likely to improve over time.
	The release can be found in the following link:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/homelessnessprevention200809
	The total number of households (with or without children) whose homelessness was prevented or relieved by obtaining private rented sector accommodation was 37,820 in 2008-09.

Homelessness

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how much has been paid in homelessness grants  (a) to local authorities and  (b) to the voluntary sector in each year to date;
	(2)  with reference to the March 2010 Budget, whether homelessness grants are paid through area-based grants;
	(3)  what mechanism is used to calculate the homelessness grant for each local authority.

Grant Shapps: The table shows total allocations of homelessness grant to local authorities and the voluntary sector from 2002-03 to 2009-10.
	Homelessness grant is not paid through area-based grant. Allocations of homelessness grant, consist of proportionate distribution of the grant across authorities based on levels of rough sleeping, temporary accommodation and B&B usage, along with funding to support particular delivery blockages or weaknesses.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   LAs  Voluntary organisations  Total 
			 2002-03 48.2 25 73.2 
			 2003-04 50.6 20.3 70.9 
			 2004-05 45.4 14.8 60.2 
			 2005-06 44.7 15' 59.7 
			 2006-07 49.5 18 67.5 
			 2007-08 51 19.5 70.5 
			 2008-09 59.5 17.1 76.5 
			 2009-10 59.51 18.4 77.9

Housing: Construction

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the effects on employment in the construction sector in  (a) 2010-11 and  (b) 2011-12 of the projected levels of housebuilding in those fiscal years.

Andrew Stunell: The Department does not make estimates of future employment in the construction sector. Employment in the construction sector declined during the recession; ONS Labour Market Statistics show 2.31 million workforce jobs in the UK construction sector in the March quarter of 2008; in the March quarter of 2010 workforce jobs stood at 2.05 million (seasonally adjusted). Over the same period, housing output declined; quarterly housing completions stood at 40,620 in the March quarter of 2008 and were 26,090 in the same quarter of 2010 (seasonally adjusted) according to CLG's House Building Statistics.

Housing: Construction

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will place in the Library a copy of the letters sent by the then Minister for Housing and Planning to the Communities and Local Government Select Committee in summer 2009 detailing plans and funding for the Housing Pledge contained in Building Britain's Future.

Grant Shapps: A letter of 17 July 2009 from the then Minister for Housing and Planning about funding the previous Administration's Housing Pledge was published in the Communities and Local Government Committee's Third Report of Session 2009-10 published on its website on 5 March
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk
	in the list of written evidence (first item, 'Ev 35').

Housing: Construction

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what incentives his Department will provide to encourage local authorities to increase the stock of new build housing.

Grant Shapps: We are committed to increasing housing supply and seeing more of the homes that people want, in the places that people want them, to meet Britain's housing need. The coalition agreement set out our clear intention to provide incentives for local authorities to deliver sustainable development, including new homes and business.
	The new incentives scheme will therefore directly reward local authorities that choose to take action to deliver housing growth. We will consult later this year.

Housing: Construction

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his policy is on the exemption of new housing developments for older people from  (a) section 106 requirements and  (b) other planning requirements applied to housing developments.

Bob Neill: The current policy on section 106 requirements is set out in Circular 5/05. The Circular is currently under review. The current policy on housing development is set out in Planning Police Statement 3 (Housing).
	In the coalition agreement the Government stated that they will publish and present to Parliament a simple and consolidated national planning framework covering all forms of development. We will be making an announcement on how we propose to take forward the national planning framework and the implications for specific areas of planning policy.

Housing: Empty Property

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many empty residential properties there were in Peterborough City Council area on 1 April in each year since 2006; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: The numbers of empty domestic dwellings in the Peterborough city council area as at the beginning of October in each year since 2006 are shown in the following table. The data include both short-term and long-term empty dwellings.
	
		
			  Empty domestic dwellings 
			   Number 
			 2006 2,125 
			 2007 2,179 
			 2008 2,517 
			 2009 2,590 
		
	
	The data are taken from the Council Tax Base (CTB) and CTB(Supplementary) forms completed annually in October by all billing authorities in England and returned to Communities and Local Government.

Housing: Regeneration

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he plans to continue with the housing regeneration scheme in the Bransholme North area of Kingston upon Hull North constituency.

Andrew Stunell: I assume the hon. Member is referring to the housing stock transfer proposal at the North Bransholme Estate, Hull to the Riverside Housing Group.
	My predecessor agreed in a ministerial statement on 16 December that the Bransholme North housing stock transfer proposal should proceed to consultation with tenants. Tenants have since voted in support of the proposal. The Homes and Communities Agency, which has responsibility for the delivery of the Housing Transfer programme, will scrutinise all aspects of the transfer application before making a recommendation to the Secretary of State on the application.

Local Government Finance: West Midlands

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the likely in-year change to his Department's capital allocation to each local authority in the West Midlands in  (a) percentage and  (b) cash terms in 2010-11; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the likely change in his Department's capital allocation to each local authority in the West Midlands for 2010-11 in  (a) percentage and  (b) cash terms; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: Tackling the UK's record deficit is the Government's top priority, and we believe that it is right that local authorities make a contribution to the efficiency savings of £6.2 billion which we have announced for 2010-11. A written statement on Local Government Savings by the Secretary of State and further information sent to local authorities was placed in the Library of the House on 10 June 2010.
	These savings included reductions to two capital programmes proposed to be paid to local authorities in 2010-11: Housing Market Renewal was reduced by £50 million, and Gypsy Site Grant by £30 million. The Housing Market Renewal allocations initially announced in December 2009 will be reduced; the mechanism by which this reduction is achieved has been subject to consultation and individual allocations for 2010-11 will be confirmed shortly. My Department had intended to make allocations for Gypsy Site Grant through a bidding process; this process and all remaining grant have now been cancelled.

Local Government Services

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his definition is of an essential frontline service for local authorities; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Stunell: This is for local authorities to define. Local authorities, engaging their communities, must determine their local priorities and define the services needed to deliver them.

Minerals

Sam Gyimah: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government by what mechanism local authorities may review target figures for the extraction of minerals.

Bob Neill: Mineral planning authorities are required to plan for a steady and adequate supply of aggregate minerals to support economic growth. It is up to the local discretion of the mineral planning authority to review targets for the extraction of minerals as part of any review of their development plan documents, and when such a review may take place. Our statement to accompany the revocation of regional strategies indicated that minerals planning authorities should do so within the longstanding arrangements for minerals planning. They can choose to use alternative figures for their planning purposes if they have new or different information, and a robust evidence base.
	It is up to the local discretion of the mineral planning authority to decide the most appropriate mechanism to review their targets, in light of the revocation of the regional strategies.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which housing associations have participated in the Mortgage Rescue Scheme.

Grant Shapps: On 16 March 2010 the Homes and Communities Agency published a list of the 153 syndicated housing associations participating in the Mortgage Rescue Scheme network. The list, which includes the 22 syndication agents, is contained within the following press release link:
	http://www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/hca-housing-associations-deliver-mortgage-rescue

Mortgages: Government Assistance

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many of the visitors to mortgagehelp.direct.gov.uk used the Create your action plan tool in the latest period for which figures are available.

Grant Shapps: From 8 October 2009 to 15 July 2010 there were 59,976 action plans generated on the
	http://mortgagehelp.direct.gov.uk
	website.
	The latest monthly period for which figures are available is June 2010, during which 1,623 action plans were generated.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 12 July 2010,  Official Report, column 497W, on mortgages: government assistance, how many absolute unique visitors from each  (a) region and  (b) local authority area there have been to mortgagehelp.direct.gov.uk (i) since 7 September 2009, (ii) in the last six months and (iii) in the last three months.

Grant Shapps: The Department does not hold this information. The breakdowns of absolute unique visitors provided to the Department through Google Analytics use geographical definitions not consistent with either English regions or local authorities.
	Analysis conducted in January 2010, looking only at target 'hotspot' areas showed the following visitor numbers for areas broadly analogous to local authority areas (based
	on the postcode of the visitor's Internet Protocol address):
	
		
			  Visitor numbers (Google analytics) by hotspot 
			   September 6 - October 5  October 6 - November 12  November 12  -  December 10  December 11 - January 11 
			 Barking and Dagenham n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Birmingham 540 1393 996 1017 
			 Bolton 37 83 92 51 
			 Cannock Chase 17 19 9 12 
			 Corby 3 10 6 2 
			 Halton 22 41 17 20 
			 Kingston on Hull 58 227 106 113 
			 Knowsley 2 7 2 7 
			 Liverpool 85 208 152 133 
			 Manchester 842 1869 1557 1249 
			 Newham n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Northampton 36 26 45 57 
			 Nottingham 77 161 120 99 
			 Reading 49 122 95 89 
			 Redditch 23 28 24 35 
			 Salford 110 198 165 122 
			 Sand well 5 16 17 27 
			 Sunderland 29 45 28 34 
			 Swindon 33 78 45 61 
			 Walsall 26 79 53 45 
			 Wigan 29 101 49 47 
			 Wolverhampton 35 92 59 54

Mortgages: Government Assistance

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department has made an estimate of the effect of the changes proposed to the level of assistance under the Support for Mortgage Interest Scheme in the June 2010 Budget on the number of home repossessions in  (a) 2010,  (b) 2011 and  (c) 2012.

Grant Shapps: The Department of Work and Pensions leads on analysis of Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) and is working to develop estimates on the potential impact of changes in SMI on repossessions.

Non-domestic Rates: Ports

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the amount of erased back-dated business rates which will relate to port companies.

Bob Neill: My Department's assessment of informal local authority estimates, received between May and June of 2010, indicate that port based properties have a cumulative backdated liability in the region of £70 million.
	This is an estimate based on a snap shot of information taken at varying times between authorities. It is important to note that this estimate could change, as it is possible that alterations will be made to the assessments of properties within ports, for example, following an appeal.
	On 22 June we announced our intention to cancel certain backdated business rates liabilities for those properties, including some in ports, that had incurred a significant and unexpected backdated rates bill from 2008 as a result of being split from another property. In the meantime a freeze on the collection and payment of such backdated bills is in place.

Regional Development Agencies

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects to complete his review of successor arrangements to regional development agencies; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Brighton, Kemptown (Simon Kirby) on 1 July 2010,  Official Report, column 632W.

Transport: Finance

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department has carried out an assessment of the potential effect of the operation of  (a) Articles 93 and 107 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and  (b) EU Regulation 1370/2007 on local authority grant aid awards to subsidised transport services.

Theresa Villiers: I have been asked to reply.
	Articles 93 and 107 of the treaty on the functioning of the European Union, relating to state aid in the field of transport, were carried over from the former treaty and are unchanged (with the exception of an additional reference to measures in support of remote and detached parts of certain member states). They have not been subject to any recent assessment by the Department for Transport. A recent assessment of the impact of Regulation 1370/2007 on bus and rail services was carried out by the Department in the context of a questionnaire issued to member states in March this year on behalf of the European Commission, asking for information on the implementation of the regulation. I am placing a copy of the Department's response in the Library of the House.

Travellers: Caravan Sites

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment has been made of the level of unmet need for Travellers' sites in the Bristol area; and whether the Government plans to set targets for the provision of such sites.

Andrew Stunell: Local councils are best placed to assess the accommodation needs of Gypsies and Travellers. The abolition of Regional Strategies means that local authorities will be responsible for determining the right level of site provision, reflecting local need and historic demand, and for bringing forward land in Development Plan Documents. The West of England local authorities published a Gypsy and Traveller accommodation assessment in October 2007. If the West of England local authorities decide to review the levels of provision in their area the 2007 assessment will form a good starting point. The Government will review relevant regulations and guidance in due course.

Yorkshire Dales National Park: Public Consultation

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent representations he has received on involvement of members of the public in planning decisions made in respect of the Yorkshire Dales national park; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: The Secretary of State has received no recent representations on involvement of members of the public in planning decisions made in respect of the Yorkshire Dales national park.

JUSTICE

Hillsborough Disaster

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to release documents held by his Department in relation to the Hillsborough disaster.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Hillsborough Independent Panel is overseeing the process for maximum public disclosure of documents relating to the Hillsborough stadium disaster. Ministry of Justice documents will be provided to the panel as part of this process.

Legal Aid: Clinical Negligence Cases

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much legal aid funding was spent on clinical negligence cases in the last three years.

Jonathan Djanogly: Net cash expenditure on legal aid clinical negligence cases was £26 million in 2006-07, £28 million in 2007-08 and £28 million in 2008-09. This includes funding for cases that have yet to conclude. In those cases where the claim succeeds, the legal costs should be met by the defendant so that the actual cost to the legal aid fund each year is considerably less than the cash expenditure.

Magistrates Courts

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent representations he has received on his review of magistrates courts.

Jonathan Djanogly: We are four weeks into a 12-week public consultation process. As such, the responses to each of the 16 consultation papers have not yet been collated and analysed. This will happen once the consultation closes on 15 September.
	However, I can confirm that as of 15 June, there had been 20 letters to Ministers in this Department from hon. Members and Welsh Assembly Members regarding the proposals. Two adjournment debates on the consultations have also been held.

Prison Officers: Pay and Pensions

Jim McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent discussions he has had with the Prison Officers Association on pay and pensions of prison officers.

Crispin Blunt: None. Pay for prison officers falls within the remit of the Prison Service Pay Review Body and pension issues are discussed centrally on a collective basis by the Cabinet Office with the Council of Civil Service Unions. Regular meetings are held by the National Offender Management Service with the Prison Officers' Association on a range of other issues.

Court Cases: Adjournment

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of cases in magistrates and Crown courts were subject to an adjournment in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jonathan Djanogly: In March 2010, an estimated 60% of all defendants dealt with in criminal proceedings in the magistrates courts were subject to one or more adjournments. In the first quarter of 2010, around 70% of all cases dealt with in the Crown court were subject to one or more adjournments. Courts will adjourn a case for a range of reasons in particular for trial or sentence.
	My hon. Friend's question highlights an important point namely that an efficient court system is more than a question of the number of courts it is also an issue of effective procedure and I can advise my hon. Friend that we are looking at procedure-including the timing of pleas and the related payment of legal aid and the question of which court hears the case with the associated delay possibilities.

Asylum

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many asylum claimants who had been represented by Refugee and Migrant Justice as at 30 June 2010 have been allocated to alternative legal representatives since that date.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Legal Services Commission has agreed a plan of action with BDO, the administrator. Accurate up to date figures will be provided by BDO but are not available at this time. Good progress is being made with regard to alternative providers indicating that they can take cases.

Convictions: Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people received a criminal conviction for offences under section 53 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 in  (a) 2008 and  (b) 2009; and how many such convictions there have been in 2010 to date.

Crispin Blunt: In England and Wales in 2008 (the latest year for which data are available) there were no convictions for offences under section 53 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000.
	Court proceedings data for 2009 are planned for publication on 21 October 2010. Court proceedings data for 2010 are planned for publication in autumn of 2011.

Convictions: Fly-tipping

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been  (a) arrested for and  (b) convicted of offences related to fly-tipping in each London borough since 1997.

Crispin Blunt: Information on the number of people arrested for fly-tipping is not held centrally. Data held by the Home Office covers arrests for notifiable offences only and offences relating to fly-tipping under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 sections 33(6), 33(8), 33(9) and 34 cannot be separately identified. Offences under Section 59 of Environmental Protection Act 1990 are not notifiable offences and do not form a part of the arrests collection.
	The number of persons convicted of offences related to fly-tipping and waste duty of care offences under sections 33(6), 33(8), 33(9), 34 and 59 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 in the Metropolitan and City of London Police Force Area for the years 1997 to 2008 is shown in the following table. Information held centrally does not allow a breakdown of cases by borough of London area, therefore Metropolitan and City of London Police Force Area data has been provided in lieu. Court proceedings data for 2009 are planned for publication on 21 October 2010.
	In addition the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs publishes data on Fly-tipping submitted by local authorities to the National Fly-tipping Database (Flycapture). This information, published on a financial year basis from 2004-05 onwards, includes data relating to prosecutions for Fly-tipping and waste duty of care offences and is available on the DEFRA website at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/quality/local/flytipping/flycapture-data.htm
	
		
			  Persons found guilty at all courts for 'fly-tipping'( 1) , London( 2)  1997 to 2007( 3,4) 
			   Number 
			 1997 38 
			 1998 38 
			 1999 54 
			 2000 72 
			 2001 107 
			 2002 161 
			 2003 202 
			 2004 301 
			 2005 288 
			 2006 473 
			 2007 336 
			 2008 177 
			 (1) Covers offences under sections 33(6),33(8),33(9),34 and 59 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. (2) Includes the Metropolitan Police and City of London police force areas. (3) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (4) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source:  Justice Statistics Analytical Services in the Ministry of Justice

Courts

Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which  (a) Crown and  (b) magistrates courts are served by which prisons.

Crispin Blunt: Details of the courts served by which prisons are held centrally and to provide this information on every prison that serves the 91 Crown courts and the 330 magistrates courts could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	However, the following table shows the courts served by certain prisons in the hon. Member's constituency.
	
		
			  Prisons that serve courts in West Yorkshire ( d ependant on type of prisoner) 
			  Courts in West Yorkshire  Adults (males)  Young adult (males) aged 18 and 21  Juvenile (males)  All females (include adults, young adults or juveniles) 
			 Bingley Magistrates Court Sent to HMP Leeds Sent to HMP Doncaster Sent to HMYOI Wetherby Sent to HMYOI New Hall 
			 Bradford Magistrates Court Sent to HMP Leeds Sent to HMP Doncaster Sent to HMYOI Wetherby Sent to HMYOI New Hall 
			 Bradford Crown Court Sent to HMP Leeds Sent to HMP Doncaster Sent to HMYOI Wetherby Sent to HMYOI New Hall 
			 Dewsbury Magistrates Court Sent to HMP Leeds Sent to HMP Doncaster Sent to HMYOI Wetherby Sent to HMYOI New Hall 
			 Halifax MC Sent to HMP Leeds Sent to HMP Doncaster Sent to HMYOI Wetherby Sent to HMYOI New Hall 
			 Huddersfield Magistrates Court Sent to HMP Leeds Sent to HMP Doncaster Sent to HMYOI Wetherby Sent to HMYOI New Hall 
			 Leeds Magistrates Court Sent to HMP Leeds Sent to HMP Doncaster Sent to HMYOI Wetherby Sent to HMYOI New Hall 
			 Leeds Crown Court Sent to HMP Leeds Sent to HMP Doncaster Sent to HMYOI Wetherby Sent to HMYOI New Hall 
			 Pontefract Magistrates Court Sent to HMP Leeds Sent to HMP Doncaster Sent to HMYOI Wetherby Sent to HMYOI New Hall Court' 
			 Wakefield Magistrates Court Sent to HMP Leeds Sent to HMP Doncaster Sent to HMYOI Wetherby Sent to HMYOI New Hall

Courts: Fines

Kris Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was outstanding in unpaid fines and other financial penalties to the courts at the end of each of the last five years.

Jonathan Djanogly: The amount of financial penalties outstanding at the end of each of the last five years is tabled as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2005-06 474,292,175 
			 2006-07 486,597,240 
			 2007-08 500,630,569 
			 2008-09 544,890,624 
			 2009-10 588,475,303 
		
	
	The outstanding balance has risen through the application of a strict policy that only allows fines to be written off in certain circumstances. The outstanding balance includes fines imposed a number of years ago during the period when fines could not be cancelled (2004-06) and fines which are being paid by instalments.
	The national payment rate for financial penalties at the end of the 2008-09 financial year was 85% and 71% excluding the value of administrative cancellations.
	HMCS is currently implementing the 'Criminal Compliance and Enforcement Services-A Blueprint for 2008 to 2012' which was launched in July 2008 and is currently being implemented by all of the HMCS regions. The blueprint sets out HMCS's strategic objective which is for a cheaper, faster and more proportionate system that primarily focuses on 'first time' compliance while continuing to apply the principles of rigorous enforcement to the hard core of defaulters.

Courts: Fines

Kris Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he plans to take to reduce the number of fines and other financial penalties uncollected by Her Majesty's Court Service.

Jonathan Djanogly: Her Majesty's Courts Service has in place a strategy to increase the success of compliance with court orders particularly with regard to financial penalties-the Criminal Compliance and Enforcement Services Blueprint. This was launched in July 2008 and is being implemented across HMCS. The blueprint sets out HMCS's strategic objective for enforcement which is for a cheaper, faster and more proportionate system that primarily focuses on 'first time' compliance while continuing to apply the principles of rigorous enforcement to the hard core of defaulters. The blueprint implementation ensures greater use of the sanctions available under the Courts Act 2003 and extended methods of payment.
	Performance in relation to the collection of financial penalties is being closely monitored across all areas of HMCS and any area where performance is below target is being challenged by a central team who will assist the area in identifying areas for improvement and set targets for increased collection.
	In the 2009-10 financial year HMCS collected £12.5 million (5%) more cash against financial penalties than in the 2008-09 year.

Courts: Video Equipment

Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  which  (a) Crown and  (b) magistrates courts have video links to which prisons;
	(2)  what the monetary cost to his department was the installation of video link equipment in each  (a) Crown,  (b) magistrates court and  (c) prison in which such equipment has been installed; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: At present, there are 30 Crown courts and 155 magistrates courts that have video links. Any of these courts can connect via video link with any prisons that also have this system installed. Details of all the courts and prisons equipped with video link are shown in the following lists.
	The Ministry of Justice funds the video conferencing service. I will write to the hon. Member to provide details of the cost to the Department for installing the video link equipment.
	 Magistrates courts with video link
	Aberystwyth
	Accrington
	Barnsley
	Barnstaple
	Barrow-in-Furness
	Basildon
	Basingstoke
	Bedford
	Bedlington
	Beverley
	Birkenhead
	Birmingham
	Birmingham Youth
	Blackpool
	Bodmin
	Bootle/S. Sefton
	Bootle/S. Sefton Youth
	Bournemouth
	Bradford
	Brecon
	Brent
	Bridgend
	Brighton
	Bristol
	Bromley
	Caerphilly
	Camberwell Green
	Cambridge
	Cannock
	Cardiff
	Carlisle
	Chatham
	Chester
	Chesterfield
	City of London
	Coventry
	Croydon
	Cwmbran
	Derby
	Doncaster
	Dudley
	Ealing
	Enfield
	Exeter
	Folkestone
	Gateshead
	Grantham
	Great Yarmouth
	Greenwich
	Grimsby
	Guildford
	Halifax
	Haringey
	Harlow
	Harrogate
	Hartlepool
	Harwich
	Hastings
	Haverfordwest
	Haywards Heath
	Hemel Hempstead
	Hereford
	Highbury Corner
	Hillingdon/Uxbridge
	Horseferry Road
	Huddersfield
	Hull
	Ipswich
	Leamington Spa
	Leeds
	Leicester
	Lincoln
	Liverpool
	Liverpool Youth
	Llandrindod Wells
	Llandudno
	Llanelli
	Loughborough
	Luton
	Maidstone
	Manchester
	Manchester Crown
	Manchester Youth
	Mansfield
	Merthyr Tydfil
	Middlesbrough (Teesside)
	Milton Keynes
	Neath
	Newcastle upon Tyne
	Newport (Gwent)
	Newport, Isle of Wight
	Newton Aycliffe
	North Shields
	Northampton
	Norwich
	Nottingham
	Nuneaton
	Oxford
	Peterborough
	Peterlee
	Plymouth
	Poole
	Portsmouth
	Prestatyn
	Preston
	Reading
	Redbridge
	Redhill
	St Albans
	St Helens
	Scunthorpe
	Sheffield
	Shrewsbury
	Skegness
	Slough
	Solihull
	South Shields
	South Western
	Southampton
	Southend
	Staines
	Stevenage
	Stoke
	Stratford/Newham
	Stroud
	Sudbury
	Sunderland
	Sutton Coldfield
	Swansea
	Swindon
	Tameside/Ashton
	Tamworth
	Taunton
	Telford
	Thames
	Torquay
	Tower Bridge
	Truro
	Wakefield
	Walsall
	Waltham Forest
	Warley
	Warrington
	Wellingborough
	West London
	Weymouth
	Wigan
	Wimbledon
	Witham
	Wolverhampton
	Worcester
	Workington
	Worthing
	Wrexham
	York
	 Crown courts with video link
	Birmingham
	Blackfriars
	Bradford
	Bristol
	Cardiff
	Carlisle
	Central Criminal
	Inner London
	Kingston
	Leeds
	Leicester
	Liverpool
	Luton
	Maidstone
	Manchester
	Newcastle
	Nottingham
	Portsmouth
	Preston
	Reading
	Sheffield
	Snaresbrook
	Southampton
	Southwark
	St Albans
	Stoke on Trent
	Swansea
	Teesside (Middlesbrough)
	Wolverhampton
	 Prisons with video link
	HMP Altcourse
	HMYOI Ashfield
	HMP Bedford
	HMP Belmarsh
	HMP Birmingham
	HMP Blakenhurst
	HMYOI Brinsford
	HMP Bristol
	HMP Brixton
	HMP Brockhill
	HMP Bronzefield
	HMP Bullingdon,
	HMP Cardiff
	HMYOI Castington
	HMP Chelmsford
	HMP Doncaster
	HMP Dorchester
	HMP Durham
	HMP Eastwood Park
	HMP Elmley
	HMYOI Exeter
	HMPYOI Feltham
	HMP Forest Bank
	HMYOI Glen Parva
	HMP Gloucester
	HMP Highdown
	HMP Hindley
	HMP Holloway
	HMP Holme House
	HMP Hull
	HMYOI Lancaster Farms
	HMP Leeds
	HMP Leicester
	HMP Lewes
	HMP Lincoln
	HMP Liverpool
	HMP Low Newton
	HMP Manchester
	HMYOI New Hall
	HMP Norwich
	HMYOI Norwich
	HMP Nottingham
	HMP Parc
	HMP Parkhurst
	HMP Pentonville
	HMP Peterborough
	HMP Preston
	HMYOI Reading
	HMP Shrewsbury
	HMYOI Stoke Heath
	HMP Styal
	HMP Swansea
	HMP Wandsworth
	HMYOI Wetherby
	HMP Winchester
	HMP Woodhill
	HMP Wormwood Scrubs

Departmental Civil Servants

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many employees of his Department attended Civil Service Live in  (a) 2008,  (b) 2009 and ( c) 2010; and what estimate he has made of the (i) employee working hours taken up by and (ii) cost to his Department of such attendance in each such year.

Kenneth Clarke: Civil Service Live events are owned and managed by the private company DODS (the publishers of Civil Service World), who bear all of the related financial risks.
	The overall delegate numbers for Civil Service Live in 2008, 2009 and 2010 were approximately 6,000, 8,000 and 7,700 respectively. Delegate registration is managed centrally by Dods. The Ministry of Justice does not keep a central record of every member of staff that attends, or the amount of employee working hours taken up by attendance. Obtaining this information would incur a disproportionate cost.
	Civil servants do not pay to attend Civil Service Live events. There will have been some travel and subsistence costs for delegates, which will be paid for by the department. Travel and subsistence costs relating specifically to attendance at Civil Service Live events are not held centrally and obtaining this information would incur a disproportionate cost. Civil servants attending the event will, however, have followed the Ministry's travel and subsistence guidelines.

Gary Critchley

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether his Department or its predecessor has had discussions with the Criminal Cases Review Commission on the case of Gary Critchley since its inception.

Crispin Blunt: There is no record of Ministers or officials from the Ministry of Justice, or its predecessors, having any discussions with the Criminal Cases Review Commission, since its inception, about the case of Gary Critchley. The Commission is independent in its consideration of cases and it would be inappropriate for Ministers to comment or intervene on individual cases.

Industrial Health and Safety

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what risk assessment tools are used by the  (a) National Probation Service and  (b) Prison Service.

Crispin Blunt: The principal risk assessment tool used across the probation service and prison service is the Offender Assessment System (OASys). OASys includes two predictors of reoffending, the OASys General reoffending Predictor (OGP) and the OASys Violence Predictor (OVP), and a separate risk of serious harm component focusing upon the likelihood of life-threatening and/or traumatic events. For those offenders who are not assessed through OASys, the Offender Group Reconviction Scale version 3 (OGRS 3) provides a prediction of proven reoffending within one and two years.
	Other tools are used for particular groups of offenders. The Spousal Abuse Risk Assessment (SARA) is frequently used with those convicted of domestic violence. Risk Matrix 2000 (RM2000) is used across both prison and probation services to estimate likelihood of sexual and violent reoffending risk among men with a history of sexual offending; this is a static risk scale which informs decisions about appropriate intensity of treatment and management. Also for sex offenders undergoing treatment programmes, the Structured Assessment of Risk and Need (SARN) is used to guide treatment, report on the impact of treatment and determine future supervision needs. For long-term, violent, prisoners, tools such as the Historical Clinical and Risk management 20 (HCR-20), Violence Risk Scale (VRS), and Psychopathy Check List Revised (PCL-R) may also be used in order to guide risk assessment and treatment approaches.

Magistrates

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice under what budget headings he calculated his estimate of £123,555 for the running costs of Wisbech magistrates court in 2009-10.

Jonathan Djanogly: The 2009-10 operating costs for Wisbech magistrates court includes the following:
	rates;
	property services;
	IT services;
	fuel and utilities;
	service costs;
	telecoms; and
	maintenance.

Non-molestation Orders

Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) arrests,  (b) prosecutions and  (c) convictions of (i) men and (ii) women who have been in breach of a non-molestation injunction order there have been since the coming into force of the provisions of the Domestic Violence Crime and Victims Act 2004.

Crispin Blunt: The information requested on arrests is not collected centrally. The arrests collection held by the Home Office covers arrests for recorded crime (notifiable offences) only, broken down at a main offence group level, covering categories such as violence against the person and sexual offences. From these centrally reported data it is not possible to identify specific offences from within the main offence groups.
	Information on prosecutions and convictions of those who breach the terms of their injunction is not currently available. Statisticians in the Ministry of Justice are currently undertaking a programme of work which aims to provide reliable statistics on such cases in the future.

Offences Against Children: Foster Care

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many foster parents have been  (a) investigated for,  (b) charged with and  (c) convicted of child cruelty offences in each of the last five years.

Crispin Blunt: The Ministry of Justice does not centrally hold details on investigations, or whether the defendant was related to the victim other than where the offence is specified separately in law. It is therefore not possible to identify from prosecutions or convictions for cruelty to or neglect of children, those which relate to foster parents.

Prison Sentences

Jack Straw: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of the prison population in England and Wales was comprised of prisoners sentenced to  (a) six months imprisonment or less and  (b) between six and 12 months on the latest date for which information is available.

Crispin Blunt: As at 31 May 2010 there were 4,626 and 3,227 prisoners serving sentences of less than six months and six months to less than 12 months respectively. These groups represent 5.4% and 3.8% respectively of the total prison population which was 85,018 at 31 May 2010.
	The figures are taken from Table 1 of the Ministry of Justice Statistics bulletin "Population in custody monthly tables May 2010 England and Wales" and available at the following website:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/populationincustody.htm
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prison Service: Manpower

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many staff in HM Prison Service have transferred to work in the National Probation Service since the creation of the National Offender Management Service;
	(2)  how many staff of the National Probation Service have transferred to work in the Prison Service since the creation of the National Offender Management Service.

Crispin Blunt: Information on the leaving destination of staff in the HM Prison Service and in Probation Trusts is collected centrally but not in enough detail to provide figures on the number of staff transferring between the two services.

Prison Service: Probation Service

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much has flowed from  (a) the Prison Service budget to the probation budget and  (b) from the probation budget to the Prison Service budget in each of the 10 regional offender management areas in each of the last five years.

Crispin Blunt: There have been no budget flows between prisons and probation in the last five years.

Prisoners: Drugs

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his most recent estimate is of the number of  (a) drug and  (b) alcohol-dependent prisoners in the prison population in England and Wales.

Crispin Blunt: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) estimates that on average 55% of those entering prison are drug dependent. The number who are physically dependent on alcohol, which can be defined as those who need alcohol detoxification, are estimated to be around 15% of males and 12% of females.
	Drug and alcohol treatment need in prisons is determined on a local basis. Central estimates of treatment need are reliant on epidemiological surveys. The figures above are derived primarily from an Office for National Statistics (ONS) report(1) which followed a large psychiatric survey of morbidity among prisoners(2) in 1997.
	A more recent source of information regarding prevalence of substance misuse among sentenced prisoners is "The problems and needs of newly sentenced prisoners: results from a national survey" published by the Ministry of Justice in October 2008. Although this did not look specifically at drug or alcohol dependency, it did show 62% of prisoners reporting some drug use and 36% reporting heavy drinking in the four weeks before custody.
	In 2009-10, a total of 60,067 prisoners received a clinical intervention for drug dependency. Equivalent figures for alcohol were last collated centrally in 2002-03, when an estimated 6,400 prisoners undertook an alcohol detoxification and an estimated 7,000 more prisoners undertaking detoxification for combined alcohol and drug misuse.
	(1) Singleton, N., Farrell, M. and Meltzer, H. (1998) "Substance misuse among prisoners in England and Wales". Office for National Statistics.
	(2) Office for National Statistics (1997), "Psychiatric morbidity among prisoners".

Prisoners: Per Capita Costs

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the annual cost to the public purse of detaining a person in prison compared with the cost of such people serving community sentences.

Crispin Blunt: In 2008-09, the annual cost per prisoner was £41,000. It is not currently possible to separate the cost of supervising offenders on community sentences as probation caseloads also include significant numbers of offenders that have been released from a custodial sentence or released temporarily into the community. Work is in hand in the National Offender Management Service to ensure that all offender services delivered in custody and in the community are properly specified and costed so that commissioners can ensure resources are targeted effectively to protect the public and reduce reoffending.
	Our future plans for, and the balance of expenditure between, custodial and community provision will need to be considered in light of the assessment of sentencing and work on new approaches to rehabilitation.

Sentencing

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what research from  (a) internal and  (b) external sources his Department has (i) commissioned and (ii) evaluated on the effectiveness of sentences of less than six months.

Crispin Blunt: The Ministry of Justice produces re-offending rates. 65.3% of those released from sentences of less than six months in the first quarter of 2008 re-offended within 12 months. In terms of community sentences, the proportion of offenders commencing a court order who committed a re-offence in 2008 was 36.1%. Differences between the offenders that receive different sentences mean comparisons with other forms of disposal cannot be made using these raw figures. However, the Department is currently working on a more sophisticated analysis of re-offending rates to control for differences between those sent to prison and other offenders. The results will be published in late November.
	Aside from this the Ministry of Justice has not commissioned or evaluated any evidence specifically on the effectiveness of sentences of less than six months. The Ministry of Justice is conducting further analysis to support the current sentencing review. This will be published alongside the review's proposals.

Sentencing

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Delyn of 6 July 2010,  Official Report, columns 171-4W, on prison sentences, in respect of how many of the offences listed in the answer the available sentences have been reviewed by the Sentencing Guidelines Council.

Crispin Blunt: Of the 116 offences and offence groupings listed 51 are covered by offence-specific guidelines issued by the Sentencing Guidelines Council. In a further eight offence groupings in the list there are offence-specific guidelines issued by the Sentencing Guidelines Council that cover some offences within the grouping.

Sentencing

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had with  (a) the Law Officers,  (b) the Chancellor of the Exchequer and  (c) the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the use of sentences of less than six months;
	(2)  what recent discussions he has had with  (a) the Lord Chief Justice,  (b) the Sentencing Council for England and Wales,  (c) the Crown Prosecution Service and  (d) representatives of criminal justice non-governmental organisations on the use of sentences of less than six months.

Crispin Blunt: As part of his introduction to his new role, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor (Kenneth Clarke) has had discussions with a wide range of Cabinet colleagues and representatives from the criminal justice system, which have touched on many issues. Short custodial sentences will be considered as part of our full assessment of sentencing policy and we will be seeking the views of sentencers and others as part of that exercise.

Sentencing

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Delyn of 6 July 2010,  Official Report, columns 171-74W, on prison sentences, which of the offences listed in the answer for which custodial sentences of six months or fewer were given he is considering for community-based sentences.

Crispin Blunt: We believe that prison is essential for serious offenders. But community sentences can be more effective in promoting rehabilitation and reducing reoffending. We are carrying out a full assessment of sentencing policy and will set out our proposals in a Green Paper in the autumn.
	Under current legislation, a community order is available for adults as a sentence for any imprisonable offence, except those for which the sentence is fixed by law, where the offending is serious enough to warrant a community sentence. The law also makes it clear that even if the offending is so serious that custody is justified, mitigating factors can allow the court to impose a community sentence. Within statutory limits, the sentence imposed in any individual case is entirely a matter for the court.

Sentencing

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent advice he has received on the appropriateness of community sentences; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: Published statistics suggest that community sentences can be more effective than short prison sentences in reducing reoffending.
	A community sentence is not a soft option. It can combine tough punishment with changing offenders' behaviour and making amends. It can also encourage the offender to deal with any problems that might be making them commit crime, such as drug or alcohol misuse. The failure to deal effectively with the root causes of an individual's offending and the excessive use of imprisonment often just delays further offending when that person is released from prison, having been further influenced by exposure to more serious offenders.
	We are conducting a full assessment of sentencing policy to ensure that it is effective in deterring crime, protecting the public, punishing offenders and cutting re-offending. Community sentences will be considered as part of that assessment and we will be asking judges and magistrates for their views on which are effective.

Tribunals: Disability Living Allowance

Phil Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of appeals and tribunals relating to disability living allowance in respect of  (a) adults and  (b) children with autism in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of appeals and tribunals relating to disability living allowance in each of the last 10 years.

Jonathan Djanogly: The First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support) does not record disability living allowance (DLA) appeals by the age of the appellant or by their disability and cannot, therefore, provide the cost of specific case types. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost by manually checking individual appeal files. In addition, the First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support) destroys appeal files six months after the conclusion of a case, so, for the majority of the period requested by the hon. Member, information is no longer available.
	The Tribunals Service was created in 2006 and can provide figures only from this date. Prior to this, the Appeals Service, an agency of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) was responsible for the appeals system. The DWP is unable to provide any data.
	The cost of DLA appeals is shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Cost (£) 
			 2009-10 14,879,189 
			 2008-09 19,577,782 
			 2007-08 20,489,002 
			 2006-07 22,420,022

War Crimes

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) men and (b) women have been prosecuted under section 1 of the War Crimes Act 1991 in each year since the Act entered into force. [R]

Crispin Blunt: Information collected centrally by the Ministry of Justice on the Court Proceedings Database does not separately identify offences under the War Crimes Act 1991. Genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes are recorded as murder or ancillary offences.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Carbon Emissions

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he plans to publish his Department's implementation plans for achieving a 20 per cent. year reduction in carbon dioxide emissions from its estate over the next 12 months.

Gregory Barker: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister committed central Government Departments to reduce carbon emissions from energy use in their buildings by 10% in the first 12 months of this Government. As set out in a previous answer I gave to the hon. Member for Coventry South (Mr Cunningham) on 7 July 2010,  Official Report, column 337W, DECC will play its part by adopting further technological measures and involving building users in additional behaviour change to deliver the required savings. It is expected that all departments will make further information about the measures they intend to take to reduce emissions available on their websites in due course.

Departmental Official Cars

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department has spent on the Government Car Service since the Government took office.

Gregory Barker: In the two month period from 12 May, the date when the full ministerial portfolio was announced, to 12 July the Department has spent £47,584.71 on the Government Car Service.

Departmental Regulations

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which of his Department's regulations are under review; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: DECC are actively engaged in adopting the principles of regulation of the coalition Government. As part of this work all policies inherited by the last Government and yet to be implemented are being reviewed. Lord Marland has also written to DECC stakeholders asking for their views on possible existing or planned DECC regulations that may be simplified or repealed. I will consider the need for a statement once the review has been finalised.

Departmental Responsibilities

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he expects to publish his Department's Structural Reform Plan.

Gregory Barker: The Department is planning to publish its Structural Reform Plan when we make the Annual Energy Statement to Parliament at the end of this month.

Departmental Secondment

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he plans to take to increase the number of officials seconded from his Department to the EU institutions.

Gregory Barker: We are currently recruiting two European Fast streamers in DECC (due for entry September 2010). As the Cabinet Office guidance states the purpose of these roles is to develop the capacity of the fast streamers to be successful in applications and assessment to posts in the European Commission.
	Additionally we are about to support an interchange agreement to the European Commission's Climate Action Team 50% funded by DECC and 50% funded by the Department for Transport.

Departmental Training

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what training has been provided for Ministers in his Department since the formation of the present administration; and at what cost.

Gregory Barker: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude) to the hon. Member for West Bromwich East (Mr Watson) on 3 June 2010,  Official Report, columns 51-52W. The National School of Government is funded through its Core Learning Programme to deliver induction and other training to Ministers and there is no separate charge to Departments.

Energy

Edward Miliband: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he expects to announce the national policy statement on energy.

Charles Hendry: I refer the hon. Member to my statement to the House of 15 July 2010,  Official Report, column 40WS.

Energy: Public Buildings

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans he has to encourage the use of heat pumps in Government buildings, including the implementation of air source and ground source heat pumps, in order to reduce energy costs.

Gregory Barker: Government Departments will need to make an assessment of where air source and ground source heat pumps can play a cost-effective part in delivering their energy use and emissions reductions to meet the central Government 10% emissions reduction target, alongside other technologies and energy efficiency measures.

National Grid: Security

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  if he will discuss with Ministerial colleagues the introduction in the UK of grid protection measures similar to those in the US Grid Reliability and Infrastructure Defense Bill; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will seek advice from the US administration on the means of implementing in the UK current proposals for grid protection in the US; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Hendry: The protection and resilience of the Critical National Infrastructure (CNI), which underpins the delivery of essential services to our citizens, is taken very seriously across Government. The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) works closely with the Centre for the Protection of Critical National Infrastructure (CPNI) and the energy industry to ensure an integrated approach to protective security in the sector, by means of physical, cyber, and personnel security measures which are appropriate and proportionate to the risk.
	The Government's Cyber Security Strategy of the United Kingdom, published alongside and reflected in the National Security Strategy update of June 2009, considers a range of methods of cyber attacks. It also outlined new governance structures and workstreams which are now building on existing work to take forward the Government's plan for reducing the impact on and vulnerability of the UK's interests from cyber attacks. The Government are building upon this work and have already discussed the importance of proportionate protection for cyber attacks within the newly formed National Security Council, at which the SoS for Energy and Climate Change was present.
	DECC works closely with the UK's energy sector to consider the impacts to energy supplies of a range of hazards and threats, including solar flares and electromagnetic pulse (EMP). Together with CPNI and the Office of Cyber Security (OCS) we identify and mitigate vulnerabilities in the national infrastructure that could be exploited by such threats, including cyber threats, and share best practice across the CNI. We continually assess the risks we identify, determine proportionate mitigations where necessary, and regularly test our responses through national and international exercises.
	CPNI provides advice on electronic or cyber protective security measures to the businesses and organisations that comprise the UK's critical national infrastructure, including public utilities, companies and financial centres. CPNI also provides a Response Service which responds to reported attacks on private sector networks. Indeed, if a cyber security breach impacts an energy utility company's operational capability leading to security of supply concerns, the Government have existing procedures (including my Department's emergency response plans) and existing powers (including, where appropriate, emergency powers under the Energy Act 1976) to intervene.
	We are keen to discuss these proposals with US counterparts, and have an ongoing interest to learn from our allies and their approaches to national security.
	DECC does not, or course, have responsibility for the resilience of sites critical to the UK national defence, one of the aspects of this particular Act. I can confirm, however, that my colleague, the Secretary of State for Defence, has robust defences and continuity arrangements in place to maintain the integrity of all sites critical to the defence of the United Kingdom.

Radioactive Waste: Waste Management

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with the Chairman and Chief Executive of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) on funding the programme of work set out in the recently published NDA report on nuclear waste management, Geological Disposal: Steps towards implementation.

Charles Hendry: Ministers have regular discussions with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) which cover all aspects, including resources and financial performance, of the decommissioning and clean-up of the UK's public civil nuclear sites including the geological disposal of higher activity radioactive waste.
	The Government welcome the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's (NDA) report "Geological Disposal: Steps towards implementation". Government are committed to ensuring implementation of geological disposal of higher activity radioactive waste, coupled with safe and secure interim storage and a geological disposal facility siting process based on voluntarism and partnership.
	Tackling the nuclear legacy is a high priority and we are committed to securing the funding necessary to maintain safety and make progress with decommissioning. Funding for 2011-12 will be dealt with through the spending review process but implementation of geological disposal is necessarily a long term programme and investment will be incurred over a period of many decades. Government are committed to a process that is staged and allows costs and value for money to be assessed at various points as the programme proceeds.

Radioactive Waste: Waste Management

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he last made an assessment of the value for money and relevance of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's Radioactive Waste Management Directorate research and development programme in support of delivery of Managing Radioactive Waste Safely plans.

Charles Hendry: Government are committed to ensuring implementation of geological disposal of higher activity radioactive waste, coupled with safe and secure interim storage and ongoing research and development (R&D) to support its optimised implementation. The implementation process is staged and allows costs and value for money to be assessed at various points as the programme proceeds.
	Following consultation, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's Radioactive Waste Management Directorate published its 'Research and Development Strategy to underpin Geological Disposal' in March 2009. This sets out how a needs-driven R&D programme will be delivered in a way that ensures both quality and value for money. This includes procuring R&D services through a competitive tender process, proactively managing R&D activities, using internal and external review to ensure technical quality, making results widely available and regularly evaluating the outputs of the programme. The strategy is available at:
	www.nda.gov.uk/aboutus/geological-disposal/documentation.cfm
	Furthermore, the independent Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM) reported on the current provision and future R&D needs for the Managing Radioactive Waste Safely programme in 2009. Government are currently considering this report and will be responding shortly. Copies of this response will be placed into the Libraries of the House.

Radioactive Waste: Waste Management

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what cost recovery arrangements the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority is applying to the agreement made in June 2010 with the Nuclear Industry Association on behalf of potential new build operators to undertake initial feasibility studies to investigate  (a) consideration of alternative geological disposal facility design options for new build spent fuel,  (b) issue associated with centralised spent fuel storage,  (c) issues associated with centralised spent fuel packaging and  (d) consideration of alternative spent fuel cask designs; and what the monetary value is of the contract.

Charles Hendry: The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's Radioactive Waste Management Directorate (RWMD) has a contract in place to allow all costs incurred from these initial feasibility studies to be paid by the Nuclear Industry Association (NIA).
	The value of the initial feasibility studies contract to be reimbursed to RWMD is £110,000. The contract, which is for the provision of advice, allows for other future work to be contracted by the NIA to the RWMD. The total value of the current contract which could be drawn upon in the future for follow-on studies is £500,000.

Renewable Energy

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the provisions of the EU Renewable Energy Directive in supporting the use of waste bioliquids under the renewables obligation; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Hendry: The renewable energy directive considers bioliquids derived from waste to have zero life cycle greenhouse gas emissions up to the point at which the fuel is collected or processed. Some wastes are exempt from the land-based criteria designed to protect land with high biodiversity, land protected for nature conservation purposes and land with a high carbon stock.
	We intend to amend the Renewables Obligation Order to incorporate the sustainability criteria for bioliquids in compliance with the renewable energy directive.

Renewable Energy

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what percentage of the UK energy supply comes from renewable generation; and what the equivalent figure is projected to be  (a) in each of the next five years and  (b) in 2020.

Charles Hendry: Overall UK energy consumption from renewables was 2.3% in 2008 (the latest data available). The Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics (DUKES) 2010, giving 2009 data, will be published at the end of July.
	Projections of the share of renewable energy in final energy consumption under the EU renewable energy directive definition for 2010-14 and 2020 are given in the table. These are based on June 2010 Updated Energy and Emissions Projections published on the DECC website.
	
		
			  Projected renewable energy as percentage of final energy consumption (RED) definition 
			   Percentage 
			 2010 2.9 
			 2011 3.4 
			 2012 4.0 
			 2013 4.8 
			 2014 5.9 
			 2020 15.2 
			  Source: DECC June 2010 updated Energy and Emissions Projections

Renewable Energy

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will take steps to implement the recommendations of the National Audit Office report on Government funding for developing renewable energy technologies, HC35.

Charles Hendry: I welcome the National Audit Office (NAO) report on Government funding for developing renewable energy technologies. We are currently drawing up plans to implement the recommendations in the report. Action has already been taken within the Department in response to its Capability Review, and this addresses some of the NAO's recommendations.

Renewable Energy

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he plans to introduce local targets for the generation of renewable energy; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: We are committed to a radical devolution of power and financial autonomy to local government and community groups. The future of local area agreements will be considered in this context and we will make a further announcement in due course.
	Tackling climate change is one of our top priorities and we want to see communities and individuals owning a stake in our collective low-carbon future. For example we want communities to directly benefit from wind farms they host. This is why we will allow councils to keep the additional business rates paid by wind farms and other renewable energy generators, and support communities in having a stake in appropriately sited renewable energy projects like wind farms.

Renewable Energy

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he plans to revise the 2009 UK renewable energy strategy to include targets for 2050.

Gregory Barker: The 2009 UK Renewable Energy Strategy was designed to set out how the UK would meet the target of achieving 15% of our energy from renewable sources by 2020.
	As we announced in 'The Coalition: our programme for government', we are seeking the advice of the Committee on Climate Change on whether it will be possible to increase our ambitions for renewable energy. We will make decisions on whether to set any new targets for renewable energy in light of this work.

Wind Power: Planning Permission

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will bring forward proposals to  (a) limit the maximum height of wind turbines and  (b) introduce a proximity rule on applications for wind farms sited close to residential areas.

Charles Hendry: There are currently no plans to bring forward measures to limit the height of wind turbines or introduce a proximity rule. The assessment of an application to develop a wind farm already includes, among other things, an analysis of visual and landscape impacts to ascertain whether the location and height of the wind farm is acceptable. The Government consider that these impacts are best assessed on a case by case basis so that local factors can be taken fully into account, regardless of whether applications are dealt with at national or local level. Where applications are dealt with at local level, we believe that councils should have the opportunity to decide these matters on behalf of their local community.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Departmental Location

Ian Austin: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities whether she plans to relocate civil servants working for the Government Equalities Office  (a) out of London and  (b) to the West Midlands; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: The Minister for Women and Equalities is not proposing to relocate civil servants working for the Government Equalities Office (GEO) out of London or to the West Midlands. GEO is a very small policy Department working closely with Ministers in London.

Equal Pay: Gender

Yvette Cooper: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities if she will require businesses with more than 250 employees to disclose gender pay information by 2013 if they have not done so already.

Theresa May: holding answer 8 July 2010
	 The coalition agreement makes clear the Government's commitment to promote equal pay and to take a range of measures to end discrimination in the workplace.
	In October we will bring section 77 of the Equality Act 2010 into force, ensuring employees can discuss their own pay freely in order to discover whether their pay is discriminatory.
	We are considering how the rest of the Act can be implemented in the best way for business.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Early Day Motions

Priti Patel: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the House of Commons Commission what the cost of administering and processing early day motions was in each year between 1997-98 and 2008-09.

Stuart Bell: The latest estimate of the annual cost of administering early day motions, set out in the recent answer to the hon. Member for Hartlepool (14 June 2010), was approximately £1 million in financial year 2009-10. This included printing and publication, staff time and technical support. Figures for previous years are not readily available but there is no reason to suppose that that they have altered significantly in real terms, other than that the number of EDMs tabled has increased.
	The number of EDMs tabled for each Session since 2000-01, together with the average number tabled per sitting day to enable comparisons to be made between Sessions of differing lengths, are as follows:
	
		
			   Total  Average per sitting day 
			 2000-01 659 7.9 
			 2001-02 1,864 9.3 
			 2002-03 1,939 12 
			 2003-04 1,941 12.4 
			 2004-05 1,033 15.9 
			 2005-06 2,924 14.1 
			 2006-07 2,193 15 
			 2007-08 2,560 15.5 
			 2008-09 2,272 16.7 
			 2009-10 1,248 18.1

House of Commons Commission: Finance

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the House of Commons Commission what discussions the House of Commons Commission has had on  (a) its budget for 2010-11 and  (b) the changes to staffing levels required to achieve budgetary reductions; and if he will make a statement.

Stuart Bell: The Commission initially discussed and agreed a resource estimate for 2010-11 on 14 December 2009. It also decided to cut House expenditure by 9% by the end of 2012-13, and in addition to absorb the cost of inflation. In the light of current economic circumstances, the Commission reconsidered the proposed 2010-11 Estimate on 7 June and 21 June 2010, and announced a reduction in its 2010-11 budget of 5% to £219 million on 22 June. The initial savings will be made in various ways, including scaling back a number of programmes and projects by £4 million, reducing the parliamentary works programme and a freeze on all but essential recruitment. £800,000 will be cut from the budget for select committee travel this year and, to save a further £500,000, catering prices across the House will be raised. This will bring cafeteria prices into line with benchmark workplace venues and bar prices into line with a competitively-priced high street pub chain. More detailed consideration of further reductions will be part of a savings programme set up to identify and achieve additional budget reductions over the next three years.
	To achieve those savings over the next three years, some staff reductions may be needed, and the House Administration will consult staff and the recognised trade unions as plans are developed.

House of Commons: Parking

Greg Knight: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the House of Commons Commission for what reasons the cabling work was undertaken in the underground car park during a period when the House was sitting; and for what reasons such work was not scheduled to be carried out during the summer recess.

Stuart Bell: As part of the fire safety programme a safety issue was identified in the underground car park and it was decided to install, as soon as practicable, equipment to monitor Carbon Monoxide levels. The installation is now complete.

Nurseries

Christopher Chope: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the House of Commons Commission how many expressions of interest in obtaining childcare places in the House of Commons Nursery have been received; and how many have been received from  (a) hon. Members,  (b) hon. Members' staff and  (c) others who work on the Parliamentary estate.

Stuart Bell: To date 16 people have expressed a firm interest in a total of 17 nursery places, broken down as follows:
	 (a) hon. Members: six places;
	 (b) hon. Members' staff: four places;
	 (c) staff of the House or PICT (the only others who work on the parliamentary estate who are entitled to apply): seven places.
	Expressions of firm interest have been accepted since June. Once the nursery is registered by OFSTED, firm expressions of interest will be able to be converted into bookings. Occupancy rates for a new nursery build up over time: the House of Commons Nursery has been planned on this basis.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Departmental Internet

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he made of the merits of making the content of the Your Freedom website available in languages other than English.

Nicholas Clegg: The goal of Your Freedom is to allow as many people as possible to contribute their ideas and comments in a cost-effective way. An assessment was made of translating the content into other languages but all options considered were felt to be disproportionately expensive.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what  (a) local government and  (b) central Government databases electoral registration officers may use in undertaking their registration functions.

Mark Harper: The information is as follows:
	 (a) In Great Britain, electoral registration officers (EROs) may currently inspect records held by the local authority that appointed them and by the registrar of births and deaths (in Scotland, the registrar of births, deaths and marriages) to assist them in maintaining the electoral register. These include:
	the register of births and deaths;
	council tax records;
	registers of households in multiple occupation;
	local land and property gazetteers;
	housing benefit applications;
	lists of persons in residential and care homes (in unitary local authorities only); and
	details of "attainers" (those aged 16 or 17) held by education departments (in unitary local authorities only).
	EROs appointed by district or borough councils in two tier local authority areas may therefore not have access to records held by county councils, including data held by social services and education departments.
	 (b) EROs in Great Britain do not have access to central Government databases. However, in Northern Ireland a system of Individual Electoral Registration has been in place since 2002, and in 2006 the annual canvass was replaced with a system of 'continuous registration' based on data matching the electoral register against other public data bases. The Chief Electoral Officer in Northern Ireland is allowed to access records held by the following authorities:
	district councils;
	the Registrar General of Births and Deaths in Northern Ireland;
	the Northern Ireland Central Services Agency;
	the Department for Work and Pensions;
	secondary schools; and
	the Northern Ireland Housing Executive.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate has been made of the proportion of  (a) black and ethnic minority people,  (b) students,  (c) people living in social housing,  (d) unemployed people and  (e) low paid people who are on the electoral register; and what assessment has been made of the effects of the introduction of individual voter registration on registration rates for these groups.

Mark Harper: No recent national estimates have been made. However, the Electoral Commission found in their 2005 report Understanding Electoral Registration that, based on data from 2000:
	 (a) 17% of ethnic minority individuals;
	 (b) 22% of students;
	 (c) 10% of those renting from a local authority and 11% of those renting from a housing association or similar; and
	 (d) 18% of unemployed people
	were unregistered. The report does not give a specific percentage for the numbers of low paid people who are unregistered, however the report did find that that:
	"areas with the highest levels of employment and income deprivation had the highest levels of non-registration in 2000."
	While no recent national estimates have been made in these areas, the Electoral Commission's more recent report The Completeness and Accuracy of Electoral Registers in Great Britain (March 2010) found that, based on case study research:
	"Under-registration and inaccuracy are closely associated with the social groups most likely to move home across all seven areas in Phase two (therefore excluding Knowsley), under-registration is notably higher than average among 17-24 year-olds (56% not registered), private sector tenants (49%) and black and minority ethnic (BME) British residents (31%)".
	The Government are considering options for implementation of individual electoral registration together with ways to maximise registration rates and will announce its approach in due course.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what guidance is provided to local authority electoral registration officers on their use of telephone calls to increase levels of electoral registration.

Mark Harper: The Electoral Commission produces guidance for electoral registration officers (EROs) on undertaking electoral registration.
	The Commission's guidance highlights that it is for EROs to use whatever methods they decide on to maintain the register, bearing in mind the requirements of section 9A of the Representation of the People Act 1983. Each ERO is under a duty to take all steps that are necessary to maintain their registers.
	The steps that EROs must take, as set out in that section, include:
	(a) sending more than once to any address the form to be used for the canvass;
	(b) making on one or more occasions house to house inquiries;
	(c) making contact by such other means as the registration officer thinks appropriate with persons who do not have an entry in a register;
	(d) inspecting any records held by any person which he is permitted to inspect under or by virtue of any enactment or rule of law;
	(e) providing training to persons under his direction or control in connection with the carrying out of the duty.
	I understand that the Commission's guidance encourages EROs to use telephones for applicants with visual impairments and to consider a telephone translation service for conducting the annual canvass in respect of those who do not speak English. However, applicants cannot apply to be added to the electoral register by telephone.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education and the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills to encourage sixth formers and university students to register to vote.

Mark Harper: Neither I nor the Deputy Prime Minister have had such discussions. The Government are considering ways to maximise registration rates in the context of the implementation of individual electoral registration and will announce their approach in due course.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which local authorities  (a) used and  (b) did not use door to door canvassing for the purpose of electoral registration in their most recent registration exercise.

Mark Harper: Under section 9A of the Representation of the People Act 1983, electoral registration officers (EROs) have a duty to take certain steps to maintain the electoral register. The steps that EROs must take, as set out in that section, include:
	(a) sending more than once to any address the form to be used for the canvass;
	(b) making on one or more occasions house to house inquiries;
	(c) making contact by such other means as the registration officer thinks appropriate with persons who do not have an entry in a register;
	(d) inspecting any records held by any person which he is permitted to inspect under or by virtue of any enactment or rule of law;
	(e) providing training to persons under his direction or control in connection with the carrying out of the duty.
	The Government do not collect information on the steps taken by EROs. However, the Electoral Commission requests that EROs supply them with information about the methods they use to canvass properties. This information is supplied on a voluntary basis, and does not therefore give a comprehensive picture.
	The most recent data are published in a spreadsheet titled "The electoral registration data for 2009" on the Commission's website at:
	http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/performance-standards/data-collection
	and includes the following headings:
	Number of households sent an annual canvass form
	Number of households returning a canvass form by personal canvasser
	Number of electors added to the revised register following the 2009 annual canvass as a result of an annual canvass form
	Number of electors on the local government register at 1 September 2009
	Number of electors on the local government register at 1 December 2009

Electoral Register

Simon Kirby: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he is taking to ensure the accuracy of the electoral register in each constituency.

Mark Harper: Electoral registration officers (EROs) are responsible for ensuring the accuracy and completeness of the electoral register at a local level. However, the Government have committed to speeding up the implementation of individual electoral registration, which will improve the accuracy of the register in each constituency.
	Under individual electoral registration, people will register themselves rather than be registered as part of a household and will each have to provide three personal identifiers, i.e. date of birth, signature and national insurance number-the last of which will be cross-checked against the Department for Work and Pensions database as assurance of identity. This will improve the accuracy of the register and its security, by ensuring that only those entitled to vote will get on the register.
	The Government are currently considering the options for implementation of individual electoral registration in a way that will improve levels of registration, so people who are entitled to vote are on the register and will announce its approach to this in due course.

Voting Rights: Prisoners

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what progress he has made in his consideration of implementation of the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights on the right of prisoners to vote in UK elections; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Harper: The Government are considering afresh the best way forward on the issue of prisoner voting rights.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what guidance the Electoral Commission has provided to electoral registration officers on means of increasing electoral registration rates among groups with low rates.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it issues guidance to electoral registration officers on their statutory duties, which is available to download from its website:
	www.electoralcommission.org.uk
	The Commission also publishes performance standards for electoral registration officers in Great Britain, which include standards relating to activities to encourage registration. The Commission has also been working with electoral registration officers who have fallen below the standards to improve their performance.
	In addition, the Commission provides a range of resources for electoral registration officers to assist them in planning and conducting voter registration activities, which can also be downloaded from its website.

Labour Party: Finance

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission how much funding from the public purse the Labour Party will receive under the Policy Development Grant in  (a) 2010-11,  (b) 2011-12 and  (c) 2012-13.

Gary Streeter: Section 12 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA) requires the Electoral Commission to make payments of policy development grants to eligible political parties. Eligible parties are those that have at least two sitting Members of the House of Commons who have taken the oath of allegiance provided by the Parliamentary Oaths Act 1866.
	The Electoral Commission informs me that the Labour Party can claim up to £456,612 in Policy Development Grants for the year 2010-11.
	Figures for 2011-12 and 2012-13 are not yet available as the grant amount is determined annually on 7 March and is dependent on the number of sitting MPs on that date and the votes cast in the most recent UK wide election.

TREASURY

Banks: Finance

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the contribution to gross domestic product of the Bank of England's Asset Purchase Scheme in fiscal years  (a) 2008-09 and  (b) 2009-10.

Mark Hoban: The independent Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of England has operational responsibility for monetary policy, including use of the Asset Purchase Facility (APF). The Bank of England publishes quarterly reports on the APF in addition to minutes of the MPC's meetings, and a quarterly Inflation Report that sets out the detailed economic analysis and inflation projections on which the MPC bases its decisions. For example, analysis of the impact of the programme of asset purchases is set out on pages 12 and 13 of the May 2010 Inflation Report.

BP: Gulf of Mexico

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the effects on tax revenues to the Exchequer of liabilities of companies involved in the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in  (a) 2010-11,  (b) 2011-12 and  (c) 2012-13.

David Gauke: It is not appropriate for the Government to comment on the confidential tax affairs of individual businesses.

Coinage: Anniversaries

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will discuss with the Royal Mint the striking of a coin to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the Book of Common Prayer in 2012.

Justine Greening: In his capacity as Master of the Mint, the Chancellor of the Exchequer will be considering themes for commemorative coins in 2012 in the coming months. The Royal Mint Advisory Committee will look at all of the proposed options before making final recommendations on which themes should be selected.
	Once he has decided the themes, the Chancellor will then submit them to Her Majesty the Queen for final approval.
	A similar process is then followed in order to select the actual designs that will feature on the coins.

Departmental Billing

David Anderson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information his Department holds on the time taken by contractors employed by it to pay the invoices of their sub-contractors under prompt payment arrangements; and if he will make a statement.

Justine Greening: The Treasury does not hold any information on the time taken by contractors to pay sub-contractors invoices.

Departmental Civil Servants

Graham Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many employees of his Department attended Civil Service Live in  (a) 2008,  (b) 2009 and  (c) 2010; and what estimate he has made of the (i) employee working hours taken up and (ii) cost to his Department of such attendance in each such year.

Justine Greening: Civil Service Live events are owned and managed by the private company Dods (the publishers of Civil Service World).
	The Treasury does not hold the details of individual attendees centrally and this information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Secondment

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he plans to take to increase the number of officials seconded from his Department to the EU institutions.

Justine Greening: As part of the Government's drive to enhance the UK's representation and voice in the EU institutions, HM Treasury focuses on secondments to posts which have an impact in terms of UK priorities for EU economic and financial policy and delivery. Placements are reviewed regularly to ensure value for money.

Equitable Life Assurance Society: Compensation

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 26 May 2010,  Official Report, columns 1-2WS, on Equitable Life, what progress he has made on his plans to make fair and transparent payments to Equitable Life policyholders through an independently-designed payment scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Karen Bradley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent progress has been made on payment of compensation to Equitable Life policyholders; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: Sir John Chadwick is advising the Treasury on the relative losses suffered by Equitable Life policyholders in relation to those accepted cases of maladministration resulting in injustice. He will submit his report shortly.
	At that time, the Government will publish Sir John's report alongside a detailed update on the next steps towards implementing an independently designed payment scheme.

Housing: Rents

Karen Buck: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the percentage change in market rents for  (a) one,  (b) two,  (c) three and  (d) four bedroom properties in each broad market rental area in each year since 2000.

David Gauke: Broad rental market areas are subject to progressive review and updating. It is not therefore possible to provide estimates of market rents in each year since 2000.

Public Sector: North East

Iain Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his most recent estimate is of the proportion of the working population in  (a) Hartlepool constituency and  (b) the North East employed in the public sector.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated July 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what the most recent estimate is of the proportion of the working population in (a) Hartlepool constituency and (b) the North East employed in the public sector. (8347)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics for public sector employment from the Quarterly Public Sector Employment Survey (QPSES) and external sources. The public sector employment figures are compiled from returns from public sector organisations and are considered the best estimates for these statistics, however these figures are not available for parliamentary constituencies.
	The ONS compiles employment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions. Individuals are classified to the public or private sector according to their responses to the APS. Consequently, the classification of an individual's sector may differ from how they would be classified in QPSES statistics.
	Table 1, shows the number of persons employed in the public sector from the Public Sector Employment statistics in the North East, along with the estimate of the number and proportion of the working age population employed in the public sector in the Hartlepool constituency from the APS for the period January 2009 to December 2009. Estimates for the North East from the APS are also provided for comparison purposes.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. A guide to the quality of the estimates is given in table 1.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			  Table 1: Number( 1)  and proportion of persons in employment in the public sector, resident in Hartlepool parliamentary constituency and in the North East 
			   QPSES  APS 
			  January-December 2009  Number  (thousand)  Number (thousand)  Proportion( 2)  (%) 
			 Hartlepool - ***9 16.4 
			 North East 290 *323 20.2 
			 '-' Estimates are not available (1) Coefficients of Variation have been calculated as an indication of the quality of the APS estimates. See Guide to Quality below. (2) Proportion of working age population.  Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV-for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5% we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220.  Key: * 0 = CV<5%-Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered precise ** 5 = CV <10%-Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 = CV <20%-Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV ? 20%-Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes  Source: Annual Population Survey (APS) and Quarterly Public Sector Employment Survey (QPSES)

Research and Development Tax Credit

Richard Burden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his plans are for the future of research and development tax credits.

David Gauke: The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in the Budget statement that the Government will consult with business in autumn 2010 to review the taxation of intellectual property, the support R&D tax credits provide for innovation and the proposals of the Dyson review.

State Retirement Pensions

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the change to the level of the state pension following the restoration of the link with earnings.

Steve Webb: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested is provided in the following table for the basic state pension.
	The Government have committed to a "triple guarantee" of increasing the basic state pension by the highest of prices growth, earnings growth or 2.5%. Furthermore, so that pensioners are not left worse off than they would have been under the old price link, in 2011-12 the basic state pension will receive an increase equivalent to the growth in RPI, should that deliver the highest percentage increase. The following figures take into account the effects of this commitment.
	These rates are estimated using the Office for Budget Responsibility's forecasts for growth and are consistent with the basic state pension expenditure forecasts published in the Budget of 22 June 2010.
	The rates are indicative only as actual levels of inflation and earnings used may differ from forecasts. Actual increases in benefit rates are decided once the September inflation rates are available, ahead of the annual uprating order.
	
		
			   Level of the basic state pension, standard rate on own contributions, weekly amount (£) 
			 April 2011 101.85 
			 April 2012 104.50 
			 April 2013 107.10 
			 April 2014 111.30 
			 April 2015 116.20

Sterling

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he plans to take to counter the rise of sterling relative to the euro and its effect on the exporting of British goods in the eurozone.

Justine Greening: The Government do not target the exchange rate but aims for price stability via an inflation target. The Government restated its full commitment to maintaining price stability in the Budget and the Chancellor confirmed that the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will continue to target 2% inflation, as measured by the 12-month increase in the Consumer Prices Index.
	The Government recognise that UK businesses need an environment which helps them compete in a global market place. The Budget announced a major package of tax reforms to improve the UK's competitiveness, intended to give businesses the confidence to invest for the long term, and to reduce the burden of tax and regulation.

VAT: Religious Buildings

Sajid Javid: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to ensure that listed places of worship will be able to reclaim value added tax incurred on repairs and maintenance following the closure of the Listed Places of Worship Scheme in March 2011.

John Penrose: I have been asked to reply.
	The Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme makes grants equivalent to the VAT incurred in making repairs to listed buildings mainly in use for worship. The scheme is currently in place until the end of March 2011. A decision on the future of the scheme can be taken only as part of wider spending review discussions, and will be announced as soon as possible.

VAT: Wales

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was paid in value added tax by residents in each income group in each constituency in North Wales in 2009-10.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated July 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how much was paid in value added tax by residents in each income group in each constituency in North Wales in 2009-10. (7063).
	Table 1 shows the average amount of VAT paid by households, by equivalised disposable income decile groups in the UK in 2008/09, the latest period which data are available. An estimate for all households in Wales is provided; however data by income group in Wales, or by parliamentary constituency, are not available due to small sample sizes.
	These estimates, as with any involving sample surveys, are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		
			  Table 1: Average annual household VAT payment by equivalised disposable income decile groups( 1) , 2008-09 
			  £ per year 
			   Income decile group  
			   Bottom  2nd  3rd  4th  5th  6th  7th  8th  9th  Top  All households 
			 UK 1,101 1,085 1,295 1,562 1,609 1,927 2,155 2,616 2,871 3,747 1,997 
			 Wales(2) - - - - - - - - - - 1,788 
			 (1) Households are ranked from lowest income to highest income. This distribution is then divided into 10 groups of equal size (referred to as decile groups). The bottom decile group is the 10% of households with the lowest incomes.  (2) Data by income group are not available for Wales due to small sample sizes.   Source:  Office for National Statistics.

INDEPENDENT PARLIAMENTARY STANDARDS AUTHORITY COMMITTEE

Members: Addresses

Graham Allen: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority what steps the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority is taking to provide sufficient fields in its IT system to enable the full addresses of all hon. Members' homes and offices to be  (a) entered and  (b) accepted.

Charles Walker: IPSA maintains address information in two systems, HR Payroll and Expenses@Work. Address information in the Expenses@Work system is required to provide a check that any invoice or receipt that the MP submits to IPSA for reimbursement is for the correct property. Only the first line of the address and postcode is required for verification. IPSA uses this to match the invoice or receipt to the registered property. IPSA does not store more information than necessary in the Expenses@Work system and IPSA has no plans at present to include additional fields for addresses.
	The HR payroll system has the full address of all MPs. This address is used for correspondence.

Members: Claims

Hugh Bayley: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority 
	(1)  what assessment the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) has made of the administrative burden its online claims system places on hon. Members in terms of hours worked per month compared to the paper-based claims system in use previously; and what representations IPSA has received about this matter from hon. Members;
	(2)  if the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) will adapt its administrative systems in order to reduce the time required of hon. Members and their staff to complete expenses claims to the minimum that is consistent with the transparency and accountability required by the Parliamentary Standards Act 2009.

Charles Walker: IPSA has not conducted a review of the administrative burden placed on Members by the online claims system in comparison with the previous paper-based system. It has received a number of representations on this matter, some indicating that the system is easier and simpler to use than expected and others that it places unreasonable burdens on Members and their staff. IPSA continues to review the online system to ensure that it meets industry standards of usability and accessibility, and enables the transparency and accountability required by the Parliamentary Standards Act. In addition, it is offering MPs one-to-one assistance with the online system.

Members: Training

Therese Coffey: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority for what reasons the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority offered training to hon. Members on the operation of the online system for claiming reimbursement from allowances by means of a screenshot presentation rather than by means of the on-system training offered to hon. Members staff.

Charles Walker: IPSA took the view that screenshots would be sufficient to provide an initial overview of the system at induction. This overview could not be provided using the live system because inductions were provided at a variety of locations convenient to MPs, not all of which had a guaranteed internet connection. MPs who wish to have training using the live online system have been invited to contact IPSA to arrange this. They have also been welcomed to attend the same training sessions as have been available for their staff.

EDUCATION

Charities

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what processes apply to the issuing of grants to charities by his Department.

Tim Loughton: Since the formation of the Department for Education no new grant programmes to charities, social enterprises and the voluntary and community sector have been announced. All grant programmes administered by the predecessor Department, the Department for Children, Schools and Families, were run in accordance with Compact principles. The Department for Education is committed to adhering to the Compact principles in the consideration and administration of any future grant programmes.

Departmental Buildings

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many buildings his Department occupies in  (a) London and  (b) the UK.

Tim Loughton: The Department for Education occupies  (a) one property in London and  (b) 4 in the UK. The details of the four properties are:
	 London
	Sanctuary Buildings
	Great Smith Street
	London SW1P3BT
	 Sheffield (took occupation in June 2010)
	St Paul's Place
	125 Norfolk Street
	Sheffield
	S1 2FJ
	 Runcorn
	Castle View House
	East Lane
	Runcorn
	WA7 2DN
	 Darlington
	Mowden Hall
	Staindrop Road
	Darlington
	DL3 9BG

Departmental Public Expenditure

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 26 May 2010,  Official Report, columns 2-3WS, on savings (2010-11), under what budgetary headings the £670 million of savings allocated to his Department will be made.

Tim Loughton: The £670 million savings break down as follows:
	
		
			  Area of spending  Amount (£ million) 
			 From a number of arm's length bodies 88 
			 From a range of youth budgets 60 
			 Through doing things differently to make efficiency improvements on a range of smaller budgets 133 
			 Corporate services, IT and communications budgets 22 
			 Schools capital budgets 33 
			 Reducing bureaucracy 23 
			 Area based grants: detail being determined through spending review 311 
			 Total 670 
		
	
	While many of the savings are being achieved through doing things more cheaply and efficiently than previously, others have yet to be finally determined, and there is more work to be done to finalise the details. The thinking is being fleshed out in the course of the spending review work now in hand.

Departmental Reorganisation

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 15 June 2010,  Official Report, column 396W, on departmental reorganisation, 
	(1)  what the itemised components are of the cost of re-naming the Department for Education;
	(2)  what the reasons are for the difference between the figure given in that answer and that released in response to a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 28 June 2010
	A breakdown of costs associated with the renaming of the Department is contained in the following table. All costs are exclusive of VAT.
	
		
			  Item  Costs (£) 
			 Development of new brand 5,250 
			 Update of website 2,250 
			 Signage 1,404 
			 Stationery 91 
			 Total 8,995 
		
	
	The answer given to the hon. Member's earlier question and answers given to all Freedom of Information requests accurately reflect the information which was requested.

Departmental Reorganisation

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 15 June 2010,  Official Report, column 396W, on departmental reorganisation, how much was spent under each budget heading on renaming his Department.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 7 July 2010
	 The cost of renaming the Department was £5,250. In addition, it cost £2,250 to update our website, £1,404 for signage, £91 for stationery with the new brand and £1,215.44 for disposal and recycling of old stationery stock.

Departmental Utilities

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much  (a) his Department and its predecessors and  (b) its non-departmental public bodies spent on (i) electricity, (ii) water, (iii) heating and (iv) telephone services in each year since 1997.

Tim Loughton: The Department is not able to provide a full response to the above question as this would incur disproportionate costs. We can provide the information for the Department's own buildings since 2007/08.
	In 2007/08 the Department spent (i) £1,269,724 on electricity (ii) £86,069 on water (iii) £219,602 on heating and (iv) £1,956,118 on telephony.
	In 2008/09 the Department spent (i) £1,443,144 on electricity (ii) £80,680 on water (iii) £240,208 on heating and (iv) £1,862,226 on telephony.
	In 2009/10 the Department spent (i) £1,510,386 on electricity (ii) £46,031 on water (iii) £245,280 on heating and (iv) £1,508,973 on telephony.

EC Law

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will estimate the cost to his Department of compliance with regulations arising from EU obligations in the last 12 months.

Tim Loughton: It is not possible to estimate the cost to the Department of compliance with regulations arising from EU obligations because there are no records from which this information can readily be identified
	To estimate the cost of compliance with these obligations would involve disproportionate expenditure.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when his Department's guidance notes for discretionary learner support funds for 16 to 18 year olds and adults will be published.

Nick Gibb: This is a matter for the Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA), which operates the discretionary learner support scheme for the Department for Education, including issuing the guidance. Peter Lauener, the YPLA's chief executive, will write to the hon. Member for Shipley with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries.

Education: Public Expenditure

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his Department's definition is of lower priority projects in relation to reductions in the 14 to 19 education budget.

Nick Gibb: As the new coalition Government continue to develop and outline their objectives for education, the Department has taken steps to review all its programmes of work to assess what is required to support such plans, taking into account the imperative of tackling the budget deficit.
	The Department has now delivered funding to programmes for 2010-11 that meet the main priorities of the new coalition Government, while ensuring value for money is maintained. As the coalition Government announced at the end of May, funding to support students already in the education system has been protected for this financial year.
	In carrying out the review of the 14-19 programmes, as part of the spending review, the Department has also undertaken to make significant savings that will enable us to contribute towards the reduction in the nation's budget deficit.

Free School Meals: Greater Manchester

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the number of children in  (a) Worsley and Eccles South constituency and  (b) Salford who would have been eligible for a free school meal from September 2010 under the proposals of the previous administration.

Nick Gibb: The sum of £85 million allocated by the previous Government to extend free school meals this year, followed by costs of £190 million in 2011-12 and £215 million in 2012-13, falls far short of the true cost of £125 million this year, which the Department estimates will increase in cost to £310 million in 2011-12 and £350 million in 2012-13. Therefore the previous Administration would not have been able to meet its commitment to extend free school meals.

GCE A-Level

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  whether he plans to reform AS Level qualifications; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether he plans to reform the format and structure of the A Level qualification; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 8 July 2010
	We plan to give universities and learned bodies more say over the development of A level examinations, to ensure that they are robust and rigorous, and properly prepare students for higher education. We shall make a further announcement on the detail of reforms to the development of qualifications later in the year.

GCSE: Enfield North

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of pupils in each school in Enfield North constituency obtained five GCSEs at grades A* to C in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: The information requested is in the following table:
	
		
			  Proportion of pupils at the end of key stage 4 achieving 5 or more GCSEs at grades A*-C; schools in Enfield North 
			  Percentage 
			   2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 
			  Mainstream schools  
			 Albany school 34 35 23 32 40 
			 Bishop Stopford's school 73 66 80 59 70 
			 Chace community school 45 39 46 51 57 
			 Enfield county school 70 63 75 76 81 
			 Enfield grammar school 65 62 65 68 77 
			 Kingsmead school 47 48 44 53 55 
			 Lea Valley high school 24 35 37 56 55 
			 Oasis academy Enfield (1)- (1)- (2)- (3)- (3)- 
			 Oasis academy Hadley (1)- (1)- (1)- (1)- (2)- 
			 St Ignatius college 65 73 69 63 74 
			 St John's preparatory and senior school 100 100 100 94 100 
			   
			  Special schools  
			 Aylands school (4)- (4)- (4)- (4)- (4)- 
			 Durants school (4)- 0 (4)- 0 (4)- 
			 Waverley school (5)- (4)- (4)- (4)- (4)- 
			 (1) School not published.  (2) Opened-new school, results not published.  (3) No KS4 pupils-school had no pupils in year 11.  (4) Results based on 10 or fewer pupils are suppressed.  (5) School had pupils in year 11 but did not have any entered for KS4 qualifications.   Source:  Achievement and Attainment Tables. 
		
	
	The figures provided in this answer are taken directly from the Achievement and Attainment Tables publication:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/performancetables/
	A wider range of achievement indicators for schools within a selected parliamentary constituency are available from this site.

National Curriculum Tests

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of schools did not enter pupils for standard assessment tests in 2009 owing to industrial action by teaching unions.

Nick Gibb: The Qualifications and Development Agency has confirmed that 4,005 schools did not administer the 2010 key stage 2 national curriculum tests. This is 26% of the maintained schools expected to do so. A list of these schools can be viewed at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/news/news/ks2-results-released

National Curriculum Tests

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what mechanism was used to establish threshold levels for standard assessment tests in 2009-10; and whether the industrial action by teaching unions had an effect on the threshold.

Nick Gibb: The Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency (QCDA) was responsible for establishing level thresholds for the 2010 national curriculum tests. Lin Hinnigan, QCDA executive accounting officer, has written to my hon. Friend with the information on the mechanisms used to agree thresholds for this year's tests.
	 Letter from Lin Hinnigan, dated 15 July 2010:
	I am writing in response to the Parliamentary Question you recently tabled regarding level setting National Curriculum Tests, as requested by the Minister of State for Schools, Nick Gibb MP: "To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what mechanism was used to establish threshold levels for standard assessment tests in 2009-10; and whether the industrial action by teaching unions had an effect on the threshold."
	The process of level setting for Key Stage 2 tests in English and mathematics 2010 was exactly the same as for previous years. The industrial action undertaken by teacher unions did not have any effect on how the process worked this year.
	In terms of the process used to set levels, a range of procedures, both statistical and judgemental, are used to ensure the standards of performance required for the award of each level are maintained consistently from year to year. This includes extensive pre-testing of all test papers so that tests can be equated statistically from year to year. Since this equating is based on data obtained during pre-testing, loss of data due to fewer pupils taking the actual test would not have an impact on the process. Evidence is also obtained through a judgemental exercise, whereby a panel of senior markers scrutinise real pupils' test papers in order to identify the threshold where performance characterises that expected of pupils at each level.
	QCDA then chairs a formal level setting meeting which takes place to weigh up both strands of evidence in order to recommend a final threshold for each level which is signed off by the QCDA accountable officer. This meeting is also observed by Ofqual, who have a role as the regulator to ensure that assessments give a reliable indication of achievement and indicate a consistent level of attainment.
	I trust this information is useful. If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact me.

National Curriculum Tests

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effect on procedures for  (a) completion and (b) analysis of data from standard assessment tests in 2009-10 (i) through the Reporting and Analysis of Improvement through School Self-Evaluation online system and (ii) other means of the industrial action taken by teaching unions.

Nick Gibb: The RAISEonline (Reporting and Analysis for Improvement through School Self Evaluation) system uses the results of national curriculum tests at key stage 2 to provide schools with analyses of their own results. The system will provide the full range of analyses for those schools that administered the 2010 key stage 2 tests.
	Schools that did not administer the tests this year will be unable to access RAISEonline analyses of the attainment and progress of their pupils at end of key stage 2.

Schools: Rural Areas

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the fairness of the application of the school funding mechanism for rural shire counties in comparison with other authorities.

Nick Gibb: We are already committed to changes to the school funding system through the introduction of a pupil premium for disadvantaged children. As well as the premium, any changes to the funding system will need to support our policy objective of giving schools more freedom including through increasing the number of Academies and making it easier for parents and other groups to start new schools. We are considering school funding arrangements for 2011-12 and beyond and will be announcing our proposals in the coming months.

Schools: Transport

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if the Government will bring forward proposals for legislation for school transport for pupils with special educational needs to ensure greater account is taken of the views of parents on the school most appropriate for their child.

Nick Gibb: Local authorities (LAs) have to make suitable home to school transport arrangements for those children who are unable to walk to school because of their special educational needs (SEN), disability or mobility problems.
	Under the Education Act 1996 parents have the right to express a preference for the maintained school (mainstream or special) they wish their child to attend. However, in all cases it is for a LA to decide what provision is required to meet a child's SEN, and where that provision should be made, taking into account the individual needs of the child.
	If parents express a preference for a school further away than the nearest suitable school, the LA is not under a duty to provide transport to the school.
	There are no proposals to alter current legislation regarding school transport for pupils with special educational needs.

Short Stay Schools

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many pupils of  (a) primary and  (b) secondary school age have been in short stay schools for more than six months in each local authority area.

Nick Gibb: The legislative provision which changed the name of pupil referral units to short stay schools was to be commenced on 1 September 2010. We have decided to delay commencement and plan to introduce provisions in Parliament in due course to repeal the name change. In the meantime pupil referral units will continue to be called by that name.
	Information on the length of time a pupil has been in a pupil referral unit (PRU) is not available.

Short Stay Schools: Special Educational Needs

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many pupils of  (a) primary and  (b) secondary school age with non-statemented special educational needs are placed in short stay schools in each local authority area.

Nick Gibb: The legislative provision which changed the name of Pupil Referral Units to Short Stay Schools was to be commenced on 1 September 2010. We have decided to delay commencement and plan to introduce provisions in parliament in due course to repeal the name change. In the meantime pupil referral units (PRUs) will continue to be called by that name.
	The information requested relating to PRUs is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Pupil referral units: Number of pupils with special educational needs (SEN) without a statement by age( 1,2: ) As at January 2010, in England, by local authority 
			   Number of pupils with SEN without a statement aged( 2) 
			   Under 5  5 to 10  11 to 15  16 to 19+  All ages 
			  England x 310 7,700 120 8,130 
			   
			  North East 0 20 400 0 410 
			 Darlington 0 x 50 0 50 
			 Durham 0 10 40 0 50 
			 Gateshead 0 0 70 0 70 
			 Hartlepool 0 0 x 0 x 
			 Middlesbrough 0 0 30 0 30 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 0 10 90 0 100 
			 North Tyneside 0 0 x 0 x 
			 Northumberland 0 0 x 0 x 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 0 x 60 0 60 
			 South Tyneside 0 0 20 0 20 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 0 0 10 0 10 
			 Sunderland 0 0 20 0 20 
			   
			  North west 0 70 1,250 x 1,310 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 0 x 40 x 40 
			 Blackpool 0 x 230 0 240 
			 Bolton 0 10 30 0 40 
			 Bury 0 0 40 0 40 
			 Cheshire East 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cheshire West and Chester 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cumbria 0 0 20 0 20 
			 Halton 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Knowsley 0 0 60 0 60 
			 Lancashire 0 10 220 0 230 
			 Liverpool 0 10 30 0 40 
			 Manchester 0 10 120 0 130 
			 Oldham 0 0 40 0 40 
			 Rochdale 0 10 60 0 60 
			 Salford 0 x 70 0 70 
			 Sefton 0 x 60 0 60 
			 St. Helens 0 0 10 0 10 
			 Stockport 0 0 70 0 70 
			 Tameside 0 10 20 0 30 
			 Trafford 0 0 10 0 10 
			 Warrington 0 0 20 0 20 
			 Wigan 0 0 50 0 50 
			 Wirral 0 0 50 0 50 
			   
			  Yorkshire and the Humber 0 20 470 0 490 
			 Barnsley 0 x 50 0 50 
			 Bradford 0 10 90 0 100 
			 Calderdale 0 x 10 0 10 
			 Doncaster 0 10 60 0 60 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Kingston Upon Hull, City of 0 0 x 0 x 
			 Kirklees 0 0 40 0 40 
			 Leeds 0 x 70 0 70 
			 North East Lincolnshire 0 0 x 0 x 
			 North Lincolnshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 North Yorkshire 0 0 60 0 60 
			 Rotherham 0 0 x 0 x 
			 Sheffield 0 0 50 0 50 
			 Wakefield 0 0 30 0 30 
			 York 0 0 20 0 20 
			 East midlands 0 40 680 0 720 
			 Derby 0 10 150 0 160 
			 Derbyshire 0 0 140 0 140 
			 Leicester 0 10 10 0 20 
			 Leicestershire 0 x 40 0 40 
			 Lincolnshire 0 10 20 0 20 
			 Northamptonshire 0 0 160 0 160 
			 Nottingham 0 10 60 0 60 
			 Nottinghamshire 0 10 100 0 110 
			 Rutland 0 0 0 0 0 
			   
			  West Midlands x 50 960 x 1,020 
			 Birmingham x 20 220 0 250 
			 Coventry 0 0 50 0 50 
			 Dudley 0 x 10 0 10 
			 Herefordshire 0 0 40 0 40 
			 Sandwell 0 x 70 x 80 
			 Shropshire 0 0 40 0 40 
			 Solihull 0 x 50 0 50 
			 Staffordshire 0 10 140 x 150 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 0 0 10 0 10 
			 Telford and Wrekin 0 x 110 0 110 
			 Walsall 0 0 30 0 30 
			 Warwickshire 0 10 100 0 100 
			 Wolverhampton 0 x 80 0 80 
			 Worcestershire 0 10 30 0 30 
			   
			  East of England 0 20 650 10 680 
			 Bedford 0 x 50 0 60 
			 Cambridgeshire 0 0 20 0 20 
			 Central Bedfordshire 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Essex 0 10 140 x 150 
			 Hertfordshire 0 0 180 0 180 
			 Luton 0 0 20 0 20 
			 Norfolk 0 0 70 0 70 
			 Peterborough 0 x 50 0 60 
			 Southend-on-Sea 0 x 40 0 40 
			 Suffolk 0 x 60 x 70 
			 Thurrock 0 x 20 0 20 
			   
			  London 0 70 1,600 90 1,760 
			  Inner London 0 30 650 80 760 
			 Camden 0 x 30 0 30 
			 City of London 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Hackney 0 0 50 0 50 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 0 x 120 0 130 
			 Haringey 0 0 60 x 60 
			 Islington 0 10 30 0 30 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 0 0 20 0 20 
			 Lambeth 0 10 40 10 60 
			 Lewisham 0 0 10 0 10 
			 Newham 0 0 40 70 110 
			 Southwark 0 10 20 0 30 
			 Tower Hamlets 0 0 170 0 170 
			 Wandsworth 0 0 60 0 60 
			 Westminster 0 0 20 0 20 
			   
			  Outer London 0 40 950 10 1,000 
			 Barking and Dagenham 0 10 150 x 160 
			 Barnet 0 0 10 10 20 
			 Bexley 0 20 80 0 100 
			 Brent 0 x 100 x 100 
			 Bromley 0 0 70 0 70 
			 Croydon 0 10 60 x 70 
			 Ealing 0 0 80 0 80 
			 Enfield 0 0 20 0 20 
			 Greenwich 0 0 80 0 80 
			 Harrow 0 x 20 0 20 
			 Havering 0 0 50 0 50 
			 Hillingdon 0 0 10 0 10 
			 Hounslow 0 x 50  50 
			 Kingston upon Thames 0 0 10 0 10 
			 Merton 0 0 20 0 20 
			 Redbridge 0 0 70 0 70 
			 Richmond upon Thames 0 0 10 0 10 
			 Sutton 0 0 60 0 60 
			 Waltham Forest 0 0 10 0 10 
			   
			  South East 0 20 1,170 10 1,200 
			 Bracknell Forest 0 x 30 0 30 
			 Brighton and Hove 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Buckinghamshire 0 0 80 x 80 
			 East Sussex 0 x 60 0 60 
			 Hampshire 0 x 140 0 140 
			 Isle of Wight 0 0 x 0 x 
			 Kent 0 x 260 0 270 
			 Medway 0 0 60 0 60 
			 Milton Keynes 0 x 60 0 60 
			 Oxfordshire 0 0 60 0 60 
			 Portsmouth 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Reading 0 x 110 0 120 
			 Slough 0 0 70 0 70 
			 Southampton 0 0 50 0 50 
			 Surrey 0 10 70 x 80 
			 West Berkshire 0 0 30 10 40 
			 West Sussex 0 0 80 0 80 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 0 0 10 0 10 
			 Wokingham 0 0 10 0 10 
			   
			  South West 0 10 520 x 540 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Bournemouth 0 0 30 0 30 
			 Bristol, City of 0 0 30 0 30 
			 Cornwall 0 0 20 0 20 
			 Devon 0 0 40 0 40 
			 Dorset 0 0 30 0 30 
			 Gloucestershire 0 10 40 0 40 
			 Isles of Scilly 0 0 0 0 0 
			 North Somerset 0 0 30 0 30 
			 Plymouth 0 0 110 0 110 
			 Poole 0 0 20 0 20 
			 Somerset 0 x 50 0 50 
			 South Gloucestershire 0 x 30 x 40 
			 Swindon 0 x 40 0 40 
			 Torbay 0 0 20 0 20 
			 Wiltshire 0 0 40 x 50 
			 (1) Excludes dually registered pupils. Includes pupils registered with other providers and further education colleges. (2) Age as at 31 August 2009. x=Fewer than 5 pupils. Pupil numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source:  Pupil Referral Unit Census

Special Educational Needs: Teachers

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make it his policy to improve the training of teachers in special educational needs.

Sarah Teather: The Government are committed to raising the status of the teaching profession and to moving to a high quality system of teacher recruitment and training.
	I am reviewing existing policies and programmes to make sure that they support our commitment to high quality teacher training including in respect of pupils with special educational needs.
	Teachers are able to increase their awareness of pupils with special educational needs (SEN) through information available to them about children with SEN as a result of the SEN Information Act 2008. The second report, following this Act, will be published in October 2010 and brings together information about children with SEN in one place.

Young People: Antisocial Behaviour

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what spending changes he plans to make to the Youth Taskforce budget; what his policy is on future Youth Taskforce funding; and if he will make a statement.

Tim Loughton: The spending review, to be concluded in the autumn, will set out the forward framework for the Department's spending and priorities and any Youth Taskforce funding will be considered as part of that process.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Developing Countries: Food

Michael Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations his Department has received on the effects on poor people in developing countries of fluctuations in food prices arising from trading on the food derivatives market.

Stephen O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) has not received any specific representations.

International Assistance

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the Government's objectives are for the UN Summit on the Millennium Development Goals in New York on water and sanitation.

Andrew Mitchell: The UK's objective for the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Summit is to secure international agreement on an action agenda for achieving the MDGs by 2015. The coalition: our programme for government clearly states that we will prioritise aid spending on programmes to ensure everyone has access to clean water and sanitation.

Overseas Aid

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether he plans to revise the partnership principles for the disbursement of UK aid.

Andrew Mitchell: I have no current plans to revise the principles. I am considering this in the context of the Bilateral Aid Review.

Overseas Aid

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on  (a) his Department's budget and  (b) levels of official development assistance; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Mitchell: The Department for International Development (DFID) is working closely with HM Treasury on plans for DFID's budget, which will be announced in the spending review on 20 October. The Government are committed to spend 0.7% of gross national income as official development assistance from 2013 and to enshrine this in law.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Carer's Allowance

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in  (a) Glasgow Central constituency,  (b) Scotland and  (c) the UK claim carer's allowance.

Maria Miller: The requested information is as follows:
	
		
			   Total entitled in GB  Scotland  Glasgow Central 
			 November 2009 969,290 99,670 1,810 
			  Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100% data.

Carer's Allowance

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to undertake a review of the carer's allowance system.

Maria Miller: The Government recognise that the UK's six million carers play an indispensable role in looking after family members or friends who need support.
	We have set out our commitment to simplify the benefit system in order to improve work incentives and encourage responsibility and fairness. We will consider carefully the needs of carers as we develop our thinking on welfare reform.

Carer's Allowance

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has made an assessment of the likely effects on those carers in receipt of carer's allowance of the  (a) programme of expenditure reduction and  (b) proposed increase in the rate of value added tax announced in the June 2010 Budget.

Maria Miller: The Government took a number of steps in the Budget which will have an impact on carers receiving carer's allowance, including announcing that we would not take back the 1.5% advance in benefit rates that the previous Administration had intended and would instead uprate benefits, including carer's allowance, by CPI in future years as a measure of inflation. As we take further steps to reduce the fiscal deficit, we will continue to consider the impact carefully, whiles protecting those who are most vulnerable.

Departmental Official Photographs

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on official photographs of Ministers since the formation of the present administration.

Chris Grayling: The Department's spend on official photographs of Ministers since the present Administration's formation is £1,090 (excluding VAT).
	The average bi-monthly spend for the previous Administration (2009-10) was £2,022.19 (excluding VAT).
	Official photography is defined as all photographs taken for official use, including head-shots of Ministers and photographs of events and visits at which Ministers appear.

Departmental Reorganisation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to relocate officials working in his Department from central London to Bassetlaw.

Chris Grayling: The location of public sector activity and plans for the Government's estate will be considered alongside other public spending issues over the course of the spending review.

Departmental Temporary Employment

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many employees on temporary contracts  (a) his Department,  (b) its agencies and  (c) its non-departmental public bodies had on the latest date for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: The number of employees on temporary contracts on 31 March 2010 in the Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) are set out in the following table.
	
		
			   Number of temporary employees 
			  Agency  
			 Jobcentre Plus 3,005 
			 Pensions Disability and Carers Service 166 
			 Corporate and Shared Services 166 
			   
			  NDPB  
			 Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission 104 
			 Health and Safety Executive 0 
			 Independent Living Fund 11 
			 Personal Accounts Delivery Authority 147 
			 Remploy Limited 196 
			 The Pensions Advisory Service 1 
			 The Pensions Regulator 38 
			 Pensions Ombudsman and Pension Protection Fund Ombudsman 2 
			 Pension Protection Fund 33 
			 Total 3,869 
			  Note: Employee numbers are expressed as full-time equivalent and rounded to the nearest whole number. Temporary employees are as defined by the Office for National Statistics ie employed on a casual basis or on a fixed term contract of 12 months or less.

Disability Living Allowance

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people receive  (a) disability living allowance,  (b) incapacity benefit and  (c) employment and support allowance in Liverpool, Wavertree constituency.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			  Employment support allowance claimants, incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance, and disability living allowance: November 2009 
			  Parliamentary constituency  ESA  IB/SDA  DLA 
			 Liverpool, Wavertree 890 5,610 7,620 
			  Notes: 1. Incapacity benefit was replaced by employment support allowance (ESA) from October 2008. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10, some additional disclosure has been applied. 3. Caseload for DLA shows the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and excludes people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 4. Constituencies used are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010. 5.IB/SDA 'claimants' include people in receipt of benefit and also those who fail the contributions conditions but receive a national insurance credit, i.e. 'credits only cases'.  Source: DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent data.

Employment and Support Allowance: Arthritis

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many claimants of employment and support allowance who were receiving treatment for rheumatoid arthritis during the assessment phase of their claim were requested to attend  (a) a work capability assessment and  (b) a work-focused interview in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many employment support allowance claimants in receipt of treatment for rheumatoid arthritis during the assessment phase of their claim have been recorded as having attended  (a) a work capability assessment and  (b) a work-focused interview in the latest period for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is not available.

Employment Schemes

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 8 July 2010,  Official Report, columns 434-35W, on employment schemes: West Midlands, what his definition of appropriate support is in relation to measures designed to support people to find employment.

Chris Grayling: We aim to have the work programme in place nationally by the summer of 2011. Until then, the Government will ensure back-to-work support is in place.
	Currently, there is a wide range of programmes on offer to our customers with contracts ending at different times.
	We are working with our delivery partners to agree how to move from the current support to an integrated programme of support available to all customers seeking work.
	We have already written to relevant existing delivery partners and have started 'one to one' discussions with them to discuss what this means for them. We will be making further announcements in due course.

Employment Schemes: Young People

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the number of people who would have received the two-year jobseeker's guarantee this year had it not been cancelled.

Chris Grayling: The two year jobseekers guarantee was due to start in April 2011 and therefore was not due to help anyone this year.
	The Government aim to have the new work programme in place nationally by the summer of 2011. The work programme will be an integrated package of support providing flexible help for people who find themselves out of work based on individual need rather than benefit claimed.
	In order to ensure that as many people benefit from the work programme as quickly as possible the Government will be phasing out many of the existing programmes and folding them into the work programme.

Flexible Working: Disability

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to enable disabled people the right to request flexible working.

Edward Davey: I have been asked to reply.
	Under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, employers have a duty to make 'reasonable adjustments' to ensure that disabled people are not put at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled people.
	Reasonable adjustments can include adjustments to working patterns, number of hours worked, or any other of the employer's working arrangements to avoid the disabled person being put at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled people.
	Because of this, there are no plans to specifically extend the right to request flexible working to disabled people. However, the Government have committed to extend the right to request flexible working to all employees. I will consult on plans to achieve this later in the year.

Funeral Payments: West Midlands

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been paid in funeral payments in  (a) the West Midlands and  (b) Dudley borough in each year since 2000.

Steve Webb: The available information is in the following table. Information at borough level is unavailable.
	
		
			  Funeral payment gross expenditure by financial year 
			   West Midlands (£ million) 
			 2003-04 5.4 
			 2004-05 5.5 
			 2005-06 5.4 
			 2006-07 5.5 
			 2007-08 5.6 
			 2008-09 6.0 
			 2009-10 6.0 
			  Notes: 1. The West Midlands has been interpreted as the Government Office Region of that name. 2. Gross expenditure includes awards made after re-consideration or appeal. 3. The gross expenditure has been rounded to the nearest £0.1 million. 4. Data for 2000-01 to 2002-03 for the West Midlands Government Office Region is not available, because one Social Fund district then straddled the border between the West Midlands and the East Midlands Government Office Regions. (Data is only available by Social Fund district.)  Source: DWP Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System

Funeral Payments: West Midlands

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average size of funeral payments made to applicants in  (a) the West Midlands and  (b) Dudley borough has been since 2005.

Steve Webb: The available information is in the following table. Information at borough level is unavailable.
	
		
			  Funeral payment average award by financial year 
			   West Midlands (£) 
			 2005-06 1,176 
			 2006-07 1,229 
			 2007-08 1,292 
			 2008-09 1,320 
			 2009-10 1,351 
			  Notes: 1. The West Midlands has been interpreted as the Government Office Region of that name. 2. Figures include awards made after re-consideration or appeal. 3. The average award has been rounded to the nearest £1.  Source: DWP Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System

Future Jobs Fund

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when his evaluation of the Future Jobs Fund will be completed; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: Results of the impacts for one year Young Person's Guarantee outcomes will be available in early 2012. We are planning to repeat the impact assessments for two year Young Person's Guarantee outcomes and the results will be available in early 2013.

Government Departments: Recruitment

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people previously unemployed for one year or more found employment in each Government department in each of the last five years.

Chris Grayling: The information is not available.

Housing Benefit

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the extent of over-occupation in social sector housing in West Lancashire constituency in households where the main tenant is in receipt of housing benefit.

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the extent of over occupation in social sector housing in  (a) Slough,  (b) Salisbury and  (c) Scarborough and Whitby constituency in households where the main tenant is in receipt of housing benefit.

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the extent of over-occupation in social sector housing in Birmingham, Erdington constituency in households where the main tenant is in receipt of housing benefit.

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the extent of over occupation in social sector housing in Lewisham East constituency in households where the main tenant is in receipt of housing benefit.

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the extent of over occupation in social sector housing in  (a) Ashfield,  (b) Argyll and Bute and  (c) Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituency in households where the main tenant is in receipt of housing benefit.

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the level of over-occupation in social sector housing where the main occupier is in receipt of housing benefit in East Lothian constituency.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the level of over-occupation in social sector housing where the main tenant is in receipt of housing benefit in Bristol East constituency.

Steve Webb: The information is not available. The Department for Work and Pensions does not collect information on dwelling size for all housing benefit recipients.
	The English Housing Survey in 2008-09 showed that 258,000 (6.7%) of all social rented households and 164,000 (5.4% ) of all private rented households in England were over-occupied as measured by the bedroom standard.
	The "bedroom standard" is essentially the difference between the number of bedrooms needed to avoid undesirable sharing (given the number and ages of household members and their relationships to each other) and the number of bedrooms actually available to the household.
	 Source:
	Figures on over-occupation are taken from 'Table 6: Overcrowding and under-occupation by tenure' from the English Housing Survey, 2008-09

Housing Benefit

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 5 July 2010, how many of his Department's customers received the maximum local housing allowance rate of £1,800 per week in March 2010.

Steve Webb: At March 2010 there were fewer than 100 customers who received the maximum local housing allowance rate. All these customers are located in the central London broad rental market area.

Housing Benefit

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households in Liverpool, Walton constituency receive housing benefit of more than  (a) £200 per week for a one,  (b) £290 per week for a two, £340 per week for a three and  (d) £400 per week for a four bedroom property.

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many local housing allowance recipients in City of Durham constituency are receiving  (a) over £400 per week for a four or five bedroom property,  (b) over £340 per week for a three bedroom property,  (c) over £290 per week for a two bedroom property and  (d) over £200 per week for a one bedroom property.

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households in Enfield North constituency receive housing benefit of more than  (a) £200 a week for a one bedroom property,  (b) £290 a week for a two bedroom property,  (c) £340 a week for a three bedroom property and  (d) £400 a week for a four bedroom or more property.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many households in Liverpool, Wavertree constituency receive housing benefit of more than  (a) £200 a week for a one bedroom property,  (b) £290 a week for a two bedroom property,  (c) £340 a week for a three bedroom property and  (d) £400 a week for a four or five bedroom property;
	(2)  what his estimate is of the number of people in Hornchurch and Upminster constituency in receipt of weekly local housing allowance of over  (a) £400 for a four or five bedroom property,  (b) £340 for a three bedroom property,  (c) £290 for a two bedroom property and  (d) £200 for a one bedroom property in 2010-11.

Steve Webb: I refer the hon. Members to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Bishop Auckland (Helen Goodman) on 15 July 2010,  Official Report, columns 849-50W.

Housing Benefit

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for how many local housing allowance (LHA) claimants there was a shortfall between their amount of LHA and actual rent charged; and what the average shortfall was between actual rents and the rate of LHA paid  (a) nationally and  (b) in each English region for such people in the latest period for which figures are available.

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of claimants of local housing allowance in  (a) England and  (b) Doncaster make an additional payment to cover the difference between benefit received and rent paid; and what estimate he has made of the average weekly payment made by such claimants in the latest period for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: The information requested is not available at sub-national level.
	In August 2009, in Great Britain, among customers receiving housing benefit under the local housing allowance arrangements, 48% had a shortfall of £23 per week on average. This relates to shortfalls caused by a customer's contractual rent being higher than the appropriate local housing allowance rate.

Housing Benefit

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioner households are in receipt of local housing allowance in each local authority area in England.

Steve Webb: The available information has been placed in the Library.

Housing Benefit: Ashton-in-Makerfield

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) pensioners,  (b) people of working age in work,  (c) people of working age who are unemployed,  (d) social sector tenants and  (e) private sector tenants receiving housing benefit in (i) Makerfield constituency and (ii) the Wigan metropolitan borough council area.

Steve Webb: The information is not available at constituency level.
	The available information is in the table. Information on whether a claimant of HB is in work or unemployed is not available.
	
		
			  Housing benefit (HB) claimants in Wigan metropolitan borough council area by age group and private/social rented sector split, March 2010 
			   Number 
			 All HB claimants 24,570 
			 Working age HB claimants 15,910 
			 Elderly HB claimants 8,670 
			 Social rented sector claimants 18,010 
			 Private rented sector claimants 6,570 
			  Notes:  1. Recipients are as at second Thursday of the month.  2. Data are rounded to the nearest 10. Totals may not sum due to rounding.  3. March 2010 represents the latest data held.  4. Social tenants include RSL (registered social landlord) tenants.  5. Working age is defined as claimants in receipt of the following passported benefits, as recorded on the local authority computer system: income support, jobseeker's allowance (income-based) or employment support allowance (income-based). If the claim is not passported then a claimant is counted as working age if they are aged under 60.  6. Elderly is defined as claimants in receipt of the following passported benefit, as recorded on the LA computer system: pension credit (guarantee credit). If the claim is not passported then a claimant is counted as elderly if they are aged 60 or over.   Source:  Single Housing Benefit Extract 100% individual level data (SHBE). 
		
	
	The available information on housing benefit recipients is published at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/hb_ctb/hbctb_release_jun10.xls
	An exercise is being undertaken to add other geographical areas to the housing benefit data: this will include parliamentary constituencies. It is hoped this exercise will be completed by early 2011.

Housing Benefit: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was paid in housing benefit to residents in  (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and  (b) the London borough of Bexley in each of the last five years.

Steve Webb: Information on housing benefit expenditure at parliamentary constituency level is not available.
	The available information for the London borough of Bexley is in the following tables:
	
		
			  Bexley housing benefit expenditure since 2005-06 in £ millions, cash terms 
			   £ million 
			 2005-06 52.9 
			 2006-07 56.9 
			 2007-08 58.8 
			 2008-09 62.9 
			 2009-10 74.8 
		
	
	
		
			  Bexley housing benefit expenditure since 2005-06 in £ millions, 2010-11 prices 
			   £ million 
			 2005-06 60.2 
			 2006-07 62.9 
			 2007-08 63.2 
			 2008-09 66.0 
			 2009-10 77.0 
			  Notes:  1. Figures are presented to the nearest £0.1 million/£100,000.  2. Figures include all housing benefit, whether funded by central Government or by local authorities.  3. Figures for 2009-10 are provisional outturn.  4. Figures have been converted to 2010-11 prices using GDP deflators from HM Treasury which are consistent with the June 2010 Budget Report.  5. Figures are available on the DWP website at: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/hbctb_exp.xls  Source: Local authority subsidy returns.

Housing Benefit: Jobseeker's Allowance

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) people and  (b) people with children currently in receipt of housing benefit have been on jobseeker's allowance for a year or more in each UK constituency.

Steve Webb: The information requested is not available.

Jobcentre Plus: Telephone Services

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many jobcentres and Jobcentre Plus offices have telephone lines with the prefix  (a) 0845 and  (b) 0870.

Chris Grayling: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Ruth Owen:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many jobcentres and Jobcentre Plus offices have telephone lines with the prefix (a) 0845 and (b) 0870. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to Darra Singh as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus. As Darra Singh is currently on annual leave, I am replying in his absence.
	The information requested is in the table below:
	
		
			  The number of customer facing sites and offices which have numbers prefixed with (a) 0845 and (b) 0870 
			   Total 
			  (a) Sites using 0845 852 
			  (b) Sites using 0870 2 
			  Source: Jobcentre Plus 
		
	
	The table identifies the number of sites using numbers prefixed by 0845/0870. This does not directly correlate to the number of actual 0845/0870 numbers in use.
	Where 0845 numbers are used to deliver customer services, where possible alternative methods of contacting us are also provided. For example, online services for vacancy searching and submission, Job Points in Jobcentres for vacancy searching and "warm" phones are provided in Jobcentres which can be used to contact benefit enquiry lines.
	The Department does not receive any income through its use of 0800 or 0845 telephone numbers. This use of 0800 and 0845 numbers is a balance between fairness and accessibility for our customers and value for money for the tax payer.
	I hope that this is helpful.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Greater London

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the number of  (a) individuals and  (b) lone parents who will have been on jobseeker's allowance for over 12 months by 2013 in Hornchurch and Upminster constituency.

Chris Grayling: The information is not available.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Liverpool

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the number of people who will have been on jobseeker's allowance for more than 12 months in Liverpool, Wavertree constituency by 2013; and how many of those are lone parents.

Chris Grayling: The information is not available.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Lone Parents

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the number of lone parents in receipt of jobseeker's allowance in Hornchurch and Upminster constituency.

Chris Grayling: In May 2010 there were 140 lone parents claiming jobseeker's allowance in Hornchurch and Upminster.
	The figure has been rounded to the nearest five.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Lone Parents

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many lone parents resident in Peterborough constituency were in receipt of jobseeker's allowance on 1 April in each year since 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: Figures are provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Lone parents claiming jobseeker's allowance in Peterborough 
			  1 April  each year  Number 
			 2008 30 
			 2009 90 
			 2010 180 
			  Note:  All figures have been rounded to the nearest 5. 
		
	
	The increase in the number of lone parents claiming jobseeker's allowance in Peterborough reflects a national trend that is a consequence of the change in the eligibility rules for income support. In October 2008 a lone parent could claim income support on grounds of being a lone parent until his or her youngest child reached 16. From November 2008 this has been reduced in steps to 10, and, under current legislation, will be further reduced to seven in October 2010. Budget 2010 announced that this age limit will be further lowered to the point when the youngest child turns school age.
	The policy is an important part of the strategy to combat child poverty. The need to increase the rate of parental employment needs to be balanced against their caring responsibilities, and accordingly the jobseeker's allowance regime has been adapted for lone parents to ensure that those with children under the age of 13 can restrict their availability to school hours, and that non-availability of child care can constitute good cause for turning down an offer of employment.

Maternity Benefits

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Sure Start maternity grants were made to mothers for their second or subsequent child in Lewisham East constituency in 2009-10.

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Sure Start maternity grants were made to mothers in  (a) Ashfield,  (b) Argyll and Bute and  (c) Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituency in respect of a second or subsequent child in 2009-10.

Steve Webb: A total of 274,000 Sure Start Maternity Grants were awarded in Great Britain in 2009-10. The exact number of awards for a second or subsequent maternity is not available, but is estimated to be 52% of all awards, around 143,000.
	The number of awards made in 2009-10 is available by Government Office Region or Jobcentre Plus Social Fund budget area only, not by constituency.
	 Note:
	Both numbers have been rounded to the nearest 1,000.
	 Source:
	For total number of awards: Department for Work and Pensions Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of residents of Liverpool, Walton constituency in receipt of  (a) income support,  (b) jobseeker's allowance and  (c) pension credits who will no longer have their full mortgage interest payment covered by support for mortgage interest payments under the proposals in the June 2010 budget.

Steve Webb: This information is not available because the Department does not collect management information on the actual interest rates that apply to support for mortgage interest customers' loans.

Pension Credit: West Midlands

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in  (a) the West Midlands,  (b) Dudley borough and  (c) Dudley North constituency claim pension credit.

Steve Webb: The information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Area  Pension credit individual beneficiaries  Pension credit household recipients 
			 West Midlands Government Office Region 348,000 279,500 
			 Dudley local authority 23,130 18,030 
			 Dudley North parliamentary constituency 6,720 5,200 
			  Notes: 1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Pension credit household recipients are those people who claim pension credit either for themselves or on behalf of themselves and a partner. Individual beneficiaries are the number of claimants in addition to the number of partners for whom they are claiming. 3. Parliamentary constituencies are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010.  Source: DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100% data as at November 2009

Pensioners: Bristol

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in Bristol North West constituency receive  (a) the basic state pension and  (b) pension credit.

Steve Webb: The information available is in the table.
	
		
			  Parliamentary constituency  State pension recipients  Pension credit individual beneficiaries  Pension credit household recipients 
			 Bristol North West 18,850 5,230 4,370 
			  Notes: 1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. State pension figures are for the total state pension caseload. Around 1% of state pension recipients are not in receipt of the basic state pension, but are receiving additional state pension only or graduated retirement benefit only. 3. Basic state pension only figures are not available by current 2010 parliamentary constituencies. 4. Pension credit household recipients are those people who claim pension credit either for themselves or on behalf of themselves and a partner. Individual beneficiaries are the number of claimants in addition to the number of partners for whom they are claiming. 5. Parliamentary constituencies are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010.  Source:  DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100% data as at November 2009

Pensioners: Edinburgh

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in Edinburgh East constituency are in receipt of  (a) the basic state pension and  (b) pension credit.

Steve Webb: The information available is in the following table:
	
		
			  Number 
			  Parliamentary constituency  State pension recipients  Pension credit individual beneficiaries  Pension credit household recipients 
			 Edinburgh East 14,200 5,030 4,370 
			  Notes:  1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10.  2. State pension figures are for the total state pension caseload. Around 1% of state pension recipients are not in receipt of the basic state pension, but are receiving additional state pension only or graduated retirement benefit only.  3. Basic state pension only figures are not available by current 2010 parliamentary constituencies.  4. Pension credit household recipients are those people who claim pension credit either for themselves or on behalf of themselves and a partner. Individual beneficiaries are the number of claimants in addition to the number of partners for whom they are claiming.  5. Parliamentary constituencies are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010.   Source:  DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100% data as at November 2009.

Pensioners: Greater London

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners receive  (a) the basic state pension and  (b) pension credit in Hornchurch and Upminster constituency.

Steve Webb: The information available is in the table.
	
		
			  Parliamentary constituency  State  p ension recipients  Pension credit individual beneficiaries  Pension credit household recipients 
			 Hornchurch and Upminster 22,260 5,150 4,270 
			  Notes: 1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. State Pension figures are for the total state pension caseload. Around one% of state pension recipients are not in receipt of the basic state pension, but are receiving additional state pension only or graduated retirement benefit only. 3. Basic state pension only figures are not available by current 2010 parliamentary constituencies. 4. Pension credit household recipients are those people who claim pension credit either for themselves or on behalf of themselves and a partner. Individual beneficiaries are the number of claimants in addition to the number of partners for whom they are claiming. 5. Parliamentary constituencies are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010.  Source:  DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100% data as at November 2009

Pensioners: Liverpool

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners resident in Liverpool, Wavertree constituency receive  (a) the basic state pension and  (b) pension credit.

Steve Webb: The information available is in the table.
	
		
			  Liverpool, Wavertree parliamentary constituency  Number 
			 State pension recipients 14,460 
			 Pension credit individual beneficiaries 6,780 
			 Pension credit household recipients 5,650 
			  Notes: 1. Case load figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. State pension figures are for the total state pension caseload. Around 1% of state pension recipients are not in receipt of the basic state pension, but are receiving additional state pension only or graduated retirement benefit only. 3. Basic state pension only figures are not available by current 2010 parliamentary constituencies. 4. Pension credit household recipients are those people who claim pension credit either for themselves or on behalf of themselves and a partner. Individual beneficiaries are the number of claimants in addition to the number of partners for whom they are claiming. 5. Parliamentary constituencies are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010.  Source: DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100% data as at November 2009

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Matthew Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of awards of  (a) employment and support allowance and  (b) disability living allowance were awarded on appeal in each of the last three years.

Chris Grayling: The information is provided in the following tables:
	
		
			   2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 Total DLA decisions made 964,000 967,000 957,000 
			 DLA appeals heard by the Appeal Service 57,000 53,000 51,000 
			 DLA appeals found in the customers favour 26,000 23,000 21,000 
			 Proportion of DLA appeals found in the customers favour of the DLA appeals heard (percentage) 45.6 43.4 41.2 
			 Proportion of DLA appeals found in the customers favour of the total DLA decisions made (percentage) 2.7 2.4 2.2 
			  Notes:  1. The figures have been rounded to the nearest thousand.  2. Each year covers decisions recorded on the DLA computer system within the period of 1 April to 31 March.  3. Total DLA decisions made include new claims (NR and SR), renewals, supersessions (including Secretary of State supersessions, supersessions age 3 and age 5).   Source:  Department for Work and Pensions-RDA60209 report-DLA Management Information Statistics. 
		
	
	
		
			  ESA claim start month  Fit for work  Appeals heard (to date)  % of fit for work with an appeal heard (to date)  Decision in favour of appellant  DWP decision upheld  % decision in favour of appellant  % DWP decision upheld 
			 October 2008 3,500 1,200 35 500 700 40 60 
			 November 2008 17,000 5,800 34 2,300 3,500 40 60 
			 December 2008 14,700 4,900 33 1,900 2,900 40 60 
			 January 2009 20,500 6,300 31 2,400 3,800 39 61 
			 February 2009 19,300 4,900 25 2,000 3,000 40 60 
			 March 2009 22,800 5,000 22 1,900 3,000 39 61 
			 Total 97,800 28,000 29 11,000 17,000 39 61 
			  Notes:  1. The data presented in this publication combine three main data sources: benefit claims data held by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) covering new ESA claims that started between October 2008 to August 2009; functional assessment data sourced from ATOS Healthcare covering assessments completed up to February 2010; and appeals data sourced from Tribunals Service covering appeals heard up to February 2010 (and which link to ESA claims up to the end of March 2009).  2. The table provides national data for all ESA claims, up to the end of March 2009 where person claiming has been found fit for work, who subsequently appeals the Department's decision and the appeal has been heard by Tribunals Service the end of February 2010. ESA was introduced in October 2008 so data are available only from this date onwards. The table shows that for all ESA claims received between October 2008 and March 2009, there were around 28,000 appeals. Of these, 11,000 or 39% found in favour of the appellant.  3.Due to the time it takes for appeals to be submitted Tribunals Service and heard, we still expect there are more appeals that have not yet been heard for these early cohorts of ESA claims. These figures should continue to be treated as emerging findings and not final at this stage.  4. The Department regularly publishes official statistics on the work capability assessment-the statistics were last updated in April 2010 and published in the report 'Employment and Support Allowance: Work Capability Assessment: Official Statistics: April 2010', a copy of which has been placed in the Library. The information is also available on the internet at the following address: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/esa_wca/esa_wca_arc.asp

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Matthew Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of applications for  (a) employment and support allowance and  (b) disability living allowance were rejected in West Suffolk constituency in the last 12 months.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is not available.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Matthew Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in West Suffolk constituency have made claims for  (a) employment and support allowance and  (b) disability living allowance in the last 12 months.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is not available.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many approvals were granted of funding from the Independent Living Fund to persons working more than 16 hours per week in (a) the West Midlands and  (b) Dudley borough in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many applications to the Independent Living Fund were made by persons working more than 16 hours per week in  (a) the West Midlands and  (b) Dudley borough in each of the last five years;
	(3)  how many applications were made to the Independent Living Fund by residents in (a) the West Midlands,  (b) Dudley borough and (c) Dudley North constituency in each of the last five years.

Maria Miller: The available information is in the tables.
	
		
			  Applications made by and approvals granted to people in remunerative employment or self-employment for at least 16 hours a week 
			   2008-09  2009-10 
			   Applications made  Approvals granted  Applications made  Approvals granted 
			 West Midlands 2 2 2 0 
			 Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council 0 0 0 0 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are only available from 2008-09. 2. Applications rejected at the initial vetting stage are not recorded on the system.  Source: Independent Living Fund 
		
	
	
		
			  Applications made to the independent living fund by residents in the West Midlands and Dudley metropolitan borough council 
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 West Midlands 281 394 468 148 308 
			 Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council 14 23 21 5 9 
			  Note: 1. Applications rejected at the initial vetting stage are not recorded on the system. 2. Figures are not available for Dudley North constituency as applications are recorded by local authority not parliamentary constituency.  Source: Independent Living Fund

Social Security Benefits: Liverpool

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Liverpool, Walton constituency are in receipt of  (a) disability living allowance,  (b) incapacity benefit,  (c) basic state pension and  (d) pension credit; and how many people in that constituency have been in receipt of jobseeker's allowance for more than 12 months.

Maria Miller: The information available is in the table. The jobseeker's allowance figure shows those in receipt for more than 12 months.
	
		
			  Liverpool, Walton parliamentary constituency  Number 
			 Disability living allowance 10,450 
			 Incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance 7,770 
			 State pension 15,510 
			 Pension credit individual beneficiaries 9,230 
			 Pension credit household recipients 7,590 
			 Jobseeker's allowance 1,245 
			  Notes: 1. Case load figures for all except jobseeker's allowance are rounded to the nearest 10. Jobseeker's allowance case load figures are rounded to the nearest five. 2. State pension figures are for the total state pension caseload. Around 1% of state pension recipients are not in receipt of the basic state pension, but are receiving additional state pension only or graduated retirement benefit only. 3. Basic state pension only figures are not available by current 2010 parliamentary constituencies. 4. Pension credit household recipients are those people who claim pension credit either for themselves or on behalf of themselves and a partner. Individual beneficiaries are the number of claimants in addition to the number of partners for whom they are claiming. 
			 5. Parliamentary constituencies are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010. 6. Incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance figure includes people in receipt of benefit and also those who fail the contributions conditions but receive a national insurance credit only.  Sources: 1. DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100% data as at November 2009 for disability living allowance, incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance, state pension, pension credit.  2. NOMIS Jobseeker's Allowance 100% data as at June 2010 for jobseeker's allowance.

Temporary Employment

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to assist part-time workers who want to move into full-time employment.

Chris Grayling: The Government's objective is to encourage a dynamic and flexible labour market in which more people can find employment, whether full or part-time, that meets their particular needs and circumstances. Key to this will be the measures set out in the Budget to secure a sustained, private sector-led, recovery in the economy and employment, through tackling the deficit, improving competitiveness and supporting business by cutting regulation and taxes. The Government are also exploring ways to ensure that people on benefit keep more of their earnings when they move into work or increase the hours they work.
	In addition, the Next Step service (our new universal integrated adult careers service which starts from August) will offer advice to individuals on how to progress in their careers. This would include helping them overcome barriers to working full-time, such as accessing child care, or where their skills were a barrier to gaining full-time work, how they could get the necessary skills through training or development activities.

Unemployment Benefits: Drugs

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many problem drug users resident in  (a) the UK,  (b) Sussex and  (c) Brighton and Hove received each of the out of work benefits in (i) 2005, (ii) 2006, (iii) 2007, (iv) 2008 and (v) 2009.

Chris Grayling: Drug and alcohol addiction is one of the most damaging root causes of poverty, and helping people who are trapped on benefits through drug and alcohol addiction so that they can recover and find employment is a top priority for the Government.
	We do not have data for the number of problem drug users at the geographical level requested for all out of work benefits. However we do have data for incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance where the main disabling condition is listed as drug abuse. We also have estimates for the number of working age claimants who are problem drug users in England.
	
		
			  Incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance claimants with the main disabling condition of drug abuse 
			  As at November:  Great Britain  Brighton and Hove  East Sussex  West Sussex 
			 2005 48,200 400 360 290 
			 2006 49,080 440 370 300 
			 2007 51,220 480 340 310 
			 2008 49,790 480 350 340 
			 2009 41,230 390 280 280 
			  Notes: 1. Data is rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Medical condition is not available for the other out-of-work benefits. 3. Incapacity benefit was replaced by employment support allowance from October 2008, which accounts for some of the drop in numbers between November 2008 and November 2009. 4. Great Britain total includes a small number of cases resident abroad. 5. East Sussex total includes Eastbourne, Hastings, Rother, and Wealden. 6. West Sussex total includes Adur, Arun, Chichester, Crawley, Horsham, Mid Sussex, and Worthing. 7. Drug or alcohol dependency does not of itself confer entitlement to incapacity benefits. To qualify for incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance, claimants have to undertake a medical assessment of incapacity for work. This assesses the effects of a person's condition on their ability to carry out a number of everyday activities relevant to work. People with a recorded diagnosis of alcohol or drug dependency may have other diagnoses, for example mental illness, which result in their incapacity for work. Causes of incapacity are based on the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, published by the World Health Organisation: http://www.who.int/classifications/icd/en/  Source: DWP Information Directorate 100% Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS) 
		
	
	
		
			  Estimated number of working-age claimants who are problem drug users by benefit type in England in 2006 
			   Number 
			 Jobseeker's Allowance 66,000 
			 Incapacity Benefit 87,000 
			 Income Support 146,000 
			 Disability Living Allowance 25,000 
			 Total in receipt of one or more of the above benefits 267,000 
			  Notes: 1. The figures are derived from estimates of the number of problem drug users on each benefit. They do not record if problem drug use is the reason for the benefit claim. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 1,000. 3. The sum of the component benefits is greater than the total because claimants can be in receipt of one or more benefits at the same time. 4. Problem drug users are defined as those who use opiates (e.g. heroin) and/or crack cocaine and include those who are in treatment for their dependency. 5. Disability living allowance can be claimed by people who are both in and out of work. 6. The copy of the working paper by Hay and Bauld can be found in the House of Commons Library, and can also be accessed at: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/WP46.pdf  Source: Population estimates of problematic drug users in England who access Department for Work and Pensions benefits: A feasibility study, Working Paper No. 46, Hay, G. and Bauld, L. 2008

Unemployment

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people in St Albans district in receipt of out-of-work benefits as a result of  (a) alcohol and  (b) drug dependency.

Chris Grayling: Drug and alcohol addiction is one of the most damaging root causes of poverty, and helping people who are trapped on benefits through drug and alcohol addiction so that they can recover and find employment is a top priority for the Government.
	A breakdown by medical condition is only available for incapacity benefit/ severe disablement allowance. The information is in the table. Information by medical condition is not available for the other out-of-work benefits: jobseeker's allowance, income support, and employment and support allowance.
	
		
			  Incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance claimants in St Albans local authority with a diagnosis of alcoholism or drug abuse: November 2009 
			   Number 
			 Alcoholism 50 
			 Drug Abuse 40 
			  Notes: 1. Data is rounded to the nearest 10. 2. The figures in the table relate to the latest available national data. 3. Incapacity benefit was replaced by employment and support allowance from October 2008. 4. Drug or alcohol dependency does not of itself confer entitlement to incapacity benefits. To qualify for incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance, claimants have to undertake a medical assessment of incapacity for work. This assesses the effects of a person's condition on their ability to carry out a number of everyday activities relevant to work. People with a recorded diagnosis of alcohol or drug dependency may have other diagnoses, for example mental illness, which result in their incapacity for work. Causes of incapacity are based on the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, published by the World Health Organisation: http://www.who.int/classifications/icd/en/  Source:  DWP Information Directorate 100% Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS).

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Adult Education: Finance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what proportion of the adult further education budget was spent on 19 to 24 year olds studying  (a) Level 3 programmes on (i) A levels (ii) vocational Level 3 qualifications and (iii) other Level 3 programmes,  (b) Level 2 programmes on (i) GCSEs, (ii) vocational Level 2 qualifications and (iii) other qualifications,  (c) Level 4 programmes not funded by HEFCE,  (d) skills for life and  (e) and other important learning categories in the latest year for which figures are available;
	(2)  what proportion of the adult further education budget was spent on 25 year olds and over studying  (a) Level 3 programmes on (i) A levels, (ii) vocational Level 3 qualifications and (iii) other Level 3 programmes,  (b) Level 2 programmes on (i) GCSEs, (ii) vocational Level 2 qualifications and (iii) other qualifications,  (c) Level 4 programmes not funded by HEFCE,  (d) skills for life and  (e) and other important learning categories in the latest year for which figures are available.

John Hayes: This information is held by the Skills Funding Agency. I have asked the chief executive of Skills Funding, Geoff Russell, to write to my hon. Friend with the information requested.
	 Letter from Geoff Russell, dated 14 July 2010:
	I am replying on behalf of the Skills Funding Agency to your Parliamentary Questions, UIN 8728 and UIN 8729, tabled on 12 July.
	The attached analysis includes data from the Learner Responsive data returns only. There are two tables-one shows information for 19-24 year olds and the other shows 25+. The data is for the 2008/09 academic year (August 2008 to July 2009), the most recent year for which complete data is available.
	The PQs ask for data broken down by categories which are not mutually exclusive. For example, some GCSE provision is classed as Skills for Life. The spreadsheet shows the full extent of the overlap.
	
		
			  19 to 24 summary 
			  Academic year 2008/09  Actual spend (£000) 
			 19+ FE participation 1,487,090 
		
	
	
		
			   2008/09 academic year 
			   19-24 summary (£000)  Of which: Skills for Life (£000)  19-24 summary excl. Skills for Life included under GCSE, other level 2 and level 1 (£000)  19-24 summary based on actual spend 2008/09 (percentage)  19-24 summary excluding Skills for Life for GCSE, other level 2 and level 1 (percentage) 
			 A/AS/A2 funding 20,280 - 20,280 1.4 1.4 
			 Vocational level 3 funding 71,373 - 71,373 4.8 4.8 
			 Other level 3 funding 155,185 - 155,185 10.4 10.4 
			   
			 GCSE funding 7,972 6,084 1,888 0.5 0.1 
			 Vocational level 2 funding 55,508 - 55,508 3.7 3.7 
			 Other level 2 funding 82,407 12,538 69,869 5.5 4.7 
			   
			 Level 4 funding 4,824 - 4,824 0.3 0.3 
			   
			 Skills for Life(1) 87,425 - 87,425 5.9 5.9 
			   
			 Level 1 funding 135,976 68,803 67,173 9.1 4.5 
			 Other level funding 12,504 - 12,504 0.8 0.8 
			   
			 Total 19 to 24 633,454 87,425 546,029 42.6 36.7 
			 (1) Skills for Life also contained within GCSE, other level 2 and level 1. 
		
	
	
		
			  25+ summary 
			  Academic year 2008/09  Actual spend (£000) 
			 19+ FE participation 1,487,090 
		
	
	
		
			   2008/09 academic year 
			   25+ summary (£000)  Of which: Skills for Life (£000)  25+ summary excl. Skills for Life included under GCSE, other level 2 and level 1 (£000)  25+ summary based on actual spend 2008/09 (percentage)  25+ summary excluding Skills for Life for GCSE, other level 2 and level 1 (percentage) 
			 A/AS/A2 funding 5,846 - 5,846 0.4 0.4 
			 Vocational level 3 funding 78,027 - 78,027 5.2 5.2 
			 Other level 3 funding 112,652 - 112,652 7.6 7.6 
			   
			 GCSE funding 11,487 8,058 3,429 0.8 0.2 
			 Vocational level 2 funding 73,918 - 73,918 5.0 5.0 
			 Other level 2 funding 225,282 33,274 192,008 15.1 12.9 
			   
			 Level 4 funding 21,607 - 21,607 1.5 1.5 
			   
			 Skills for Life(1) 287,857 - 287,857 19.4 19.4 
			   
			 Level 1 funding 388,502 246,525 141,977 26.1 9.5 
			 Other level funding 25,603 - 25,603 1.7 1.7 
			   
			 Total 25+ 1,230,781 287,857 942,924 82.8 63.4 
			 (1) Skills for Life also contained within GCSE, other level 2 and level 1.

Adult Education: Incapacity Benefit

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will bring forward proposals to provide a remission of course fees for adult learners in receipt of incapacity benefit.

John Hayes: Remission of course fees or waivers are only available for people in receipt of means-tested benefits. As incapacity benefit is a non-means tested and also (after 28 weeks) a taxable benefit, it does not fall into this category. Students in receipt of incapacity benefit who also receive means-tested benefits, such as income support or housing benefit, may be eligible for a remission in course fees.
	Colleges also have discretion to waive fees for students in receipt of incapacity benefit.

Apprentices: Construction

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has to assist the construction sector to create and retain local  (a) jobs and  (b) apprenticeships.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 19 July 2010
	 The Government's priorities are to address the budget deficit and the challenge of creating growth across the economy, in order to create conditions where investment in construction can start to grow, and more jobs can be created. There are no short-term fixes.
	The Government are keen to continue working with sectors, to develop effective strategies and programmes to support apprenticeship training. Our decision to redeploy £150 million of Train to Gain funding to create 50,000 high-quality, employer-led apprenticeship places is just the beginning.
	This Government are committed to increasing the number of apprenticeships, in particular, advanced and higher apprenticeships. To build an advanced economy we need advanced skills in industries such as construction. Sector Skills Councils (SSCs), such as ConstructionSkills, have a key role encouraging more businesses to offer apprenticeship places. We expect the Skills Funding Agency to work with the National Apprenticeships Service, SSCs, employers, colleges and training organisations to make additional apprenticeship places available in sectors where there is local demand.

Apprentices: West Midlands

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has to work with small and medium-sized enterprises in  (a) the West Midlands,  (b) Dudley borough and  (c) Dudley North constituency to ensure the provision of apprenticeship places.

John Hayes: We are seeking to drive up the skills levels of the work force by directing public funding where it will bring the clearest benefits. Apprenticeships will play a vital role in this. We are determined to make it easier for companies of all sizes to take on apprentices so that more businesses can access the tremendous benefits they can bring to the workplace. That is why we are redirecting £150 million of Train to Gain in 2010-11 to create an additional 50,000 high quality employer-led places.
	SMEs are our priority but we recognise that there is also a need to support large employers who are prepared to recruit and train apprentices. We fund apprenticeships on a national basis through the Skills Funding Agency-there are no regional allocations. The Skills Funding Agency work with the National Apprenticeships Service, employers, colleges and training organisations in Dudley and the west midlands to make additional apprenticeship places available where there is local demand.

Building Schools for the Future Programme

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will provide financial assistance to those construction companies whose contracts under the Building Schools for the Future programme have been cancelled.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 19 July 2010
	 I have no plans to do so.

Business: EU Law

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 29 June 2010,  Official Report, column 534W, on business: EU law, what the monetary value is of 31% of the total regulatory costs.

Mark Prisk: The proportion of planned new regulatory costs stemming from the EU from April 2010 onwards equates to 31% of the total average annual cost of all measures over the same period. The total average annual cost is £27.8 to £30.3 billion, as set out in the Government's second Forward Regulatory Programme, published in March this year.
	Unfortunately, there was an error in my response to the previous PQ which asked me to make an estimate of the cost of EU Regulation to British businesses. This should have read "the proportion of planned regulatory costs stemming from the EU from April 2010 onwards equates to 31%"-not between the period April 2010 to April 2011.

Business: Government Assistance

James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has for the long-term future of the Grant for Business Investment Scheme.

Mark Prisk: All Solutions for Business (SfB) products are currently being reviewed, including the Grant for Business Investment (GBI).

Civil Servants: Location

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to relocate  (a) civil servants and  (b) Government bodies for which his Department is responsible (i) out of London and (ii) to the West Midlands; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: This Department is currently reviewing its location strategy and this will include future decisions on potential relocation opportunities. The initial review is expected to be undertaken over the next six months and no decisions will be made on any final locations until then.

Construction

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the state of the construction industry; and what steps he plans to take to assist the industry.

Mark Prisk: Figures recently released by the Office for National Statistics show that construction output declined overall by 1% in the first quarter of 2010. There was an encouraging increase in new build, for the second quarter in succession since the end of the recession. Repair and Maintenance had shown a strong increase in the third quarter of 2009, and the decline in the latest figures is likely to reflect work having been brought forward before the ending of lower rate VAT in January this year. New orders for construction rose by 1% over the previous quarter, with a strong increase in private housing and increases in all other sectors except private non-housing projects.
	While publicly funded projects and infrastructure have shown resilience throughout the recent recession, the government recognises that the balance must shift towards the private sector in the future. The Department's priorities include rebalancing the economy to encourage the investment necessary to stimulate growth in all sectors including construction. In addition, the Construction Innovation and Growth Team is looking at how the industry can best become equipped to meet the challenges of a low-carbon economy, and will report in the autumn.

Credit: Low Incomes

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on how many occasions the courts have cancelled a credit agreement under the unfair credit relationship provisions of the Consumer Credit Act 2006 in respect of those on lower incomes in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Edward Davey: The Office of Fair Trading is aware of three cases since 1 July 2009 in which the court found that there was an unfair relationship and imposed remedies in favour of the borrower. In one case a linked contract for payment protection insurance was cancelled and in the other two cases the interest rate was reduced. In none of these cases was the credit agreement cancelled. There is no information as to the income level of the borrowers in these cases.

Departmental Equality

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much has been spent by his Department  (a) in total and  (b) on staffing costs on promoting equality and diversity in each of the last three years; and how many people are employed by his Department for this purpose.

Edward Davey: BIS is a new Department that was formed in June 2009. As required, it published its first Single Equality Scheme (SES) on 3 June 2010. The SES provides examples of the positive developments and achievements in BIS policy areas. It also sets out the objectives for the Department over the next three years. This shows how BIS intends to meet its obligations to the current Equality legislation and to the Equality Act and public sector duties that come into force in April 2011.
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/corporate/docs/s/10-811-single-equality-scheme.pdf
	A total of £308,222 has been spent on promoting equality and diversity since the formation of the Department. This includes staffing costs of £261,989 for 4.7 FTE members of staff.

Departmental NDPBs

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the address is of the head office of each non-departmental public body for which his Department is responsible.

Edward Davey: The addresses of the Department's non-departmental public bodies can be found at the following link, under the "Public Bodies Directory" heading:
	http://www.berr.gov.uk/aboutus/corporate/performance/annual-spending/page27140.html

Departmental Official Cars

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his estimate is of the mileage travelled by each Minister in his Department in a Government car in  (a) May and  (b) June 2010.

Edward Davey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport on 13 July 2010,  Official Report, column 624W.

Departmental Public Consultation

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much  (a) his Department and its predecessors and  (b) its agencies spent on public consultations in each of the last five years; if he will place in the Library a copy of each consultation document issued; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: holding answer 19 July 2010
	 The vast majority of consultation exercises are run by policy teams with some support from the consultation coordinator, IT, communications teams and in some instances Government offices in the regions. Separating the costs of consultations from everyday departmental responsibilities would not therefore be possible except at disproportionate expense. Consultation documents are available on the internet at:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/Consultations
	(for recent BIS consultations)
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20100216092443/http://www.berr.gov.uk/consultations/archived/index.html
	(for archived BIS consultations)
	http://www.nmo.bis.gov.uk/content.aspx?SC_ID=333
	(For National Measurement Office consultations)
	http://www.ipo.gov.uk/pro-policy/consult.htm
	(for Intellectual Property Office consultations)
	http://www.insolvency.gov.uk/insolvencyprofessionandlegislation/con_doc_register/registerindex.htm
	(for Insolvency Service consultations)
	http://skillsfundingagency.bis.gov.uk/funding/consultations/

Departmental Travel

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department have been driven by the Government Car Service since the Government took office; and how much each of these persons has received in expenses for use of taxis, buses and underground trains in that period.

Edward Davey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for West Bromwich East (Mr Watson) on 7 June 2010,  Official Report, column 82W.
	In addition, the Government publish on a quarterly basis, the expenses incurred by the most senior officials which includes use of the Government Car Service and other travel expenses.

East of England Development Agency: Internet

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what websites have been  (a) operated and  (b) commissioned by the East of England Development Agency in each year since its inception; what estimate he has made of (i) the number of unique visitors to and (ii) the average length of time each visitor spent on each such site in each such year; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many staff of his Department maintain the East of England Development Agency erebusonline website; and what recent assessment he has made of the value for money derived from expenditure on the website.

Mark Prisk: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend for Harlow (Robert Halfon) on 6 July 2010,  Official Report, column reference 236W.
	No BIS staff are involved in the maintenance of the erebusonline website and the Department has not made any assessments on the value for money of the website.

Farnborough Airshow

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which countries have been invited by UK Trade and Investment to send delegates to the Farnborough International Airshow in 2010; which countries have accepted such invitations; which delegations attending that event will be composed of  (a) military,  (b) civil and  (c) military and civil representatives; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: A total of 42 countries have been invited by the Government to send official delegations to the show and 37 have accepted an invitation and are expected to attend. The delegations will comprise military and civil representatives as provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Countries invited  Accepted/declined  Military/civil representatives 
			 Algeria Accepted Military 
			 Australia Accepted Civilian 
			 Bahrain Decline - 
			 Brazil Accepted Military 
			 Brunei Accepted Military and Civilian 
			 Canada Accepted Military and Civilian 
			 Chile Accepted Military 
			 China Accepted Military 
			 Denmark Accepted Military and Civilian 
			 Finland Declined - 
			 France Accepted Military and Civilian 
			 Germany Accepted Military and Civilian 
			 Greece Accepted Military and Civilian 
			 India Accepted Military and Civilian 
			 Indonesia Accepted Military and Civilian 
			 Iraq Accepted Military 
			 Italy Accepted Military and Civilian 
			 Japan Accepted Military and Civilian 
			 Jordan Accepted Military 
			 Kuwait Accepted Military 
			 Libya Accepted Military and Civilian 
			 Malaysia Accepted Military and Civilian 
			 Netherlands Accepted Military and Civilian 
			 Norway Accepted Military and Civilian 
			 Oman Accepted Military 
			 Pakistan Accepted Military and Civilian 
			 Peru Declined - 
			 Poland Accepted Military and Civilian 
			 Qatar Accepted Military 
			 Republic of Korea Accepted Military and Civilian 
			 Romania Accepted Military 
			 South Africa Declined - 
			 Saudi Arabia Accepted Military 
			 Singapore Accepted Military and Civilian 
			 Spain Accepted Military 
			 Sweden Accepted Military 
			 Switzerland Accepted Civilian 
			 Thailand Declined - 
			 Turkey Accepted Military and Civilian 
			 UAE Accepted Military 
			 USA Accepted Military and Civilian 
			 Vietnam Accepted Military

Farnborough Airshow

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding his Department has provided to the 2010 Farnborough International Airshow for the purposes of  (a) meeting the costs of the event and  (b) hosting official delegations; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: No funding has been provided to the Farnborough International Airshow to meet the costs of the event. These are all met by the private sector.
	No direct costs, other than staff time and related staff travel expenses, have been incurred on hosting official delegations.

Manufacturing Industries: Employment

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to increase employment in the manufacturing sector; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: The Government are supporting employment in the manufacturing industry by creating a stable business environment that will give businesses the confidence they need to plan and invest for the future. We are doing this by creating a more supportive tax environment, freeing up credit through the banking system, reducing regulation, maximising the flexibility of the labour market and focusing on training and apprenticeships. For example, we have already redirected £150 million to create up to 50,000 extra apprenticeships, which will be workplace-based and employer-led.
	In taking this forward, we are currently developing our thinking on manufacturing. It is clear we need a fresh approach which addresses the UK's competitive advantage and weaknesses in manufacturing including productivity, skills, R and D and exports. We are keen to ensure that we provide the best long-term environment in which manufacturing can grow, recognising the vital role it plays in the UK economy.

Motorsport and Aerospace

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he plans to take in response to the recommendations in the Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee's Sixth Report of Session 2009-10, Full speed ahead: maintaining UK excellence in motorsport and aerospace, HC173.

Mark Prisk: The Department responded to the Committee in a Command Paper (CM 7867) in April 2010.

Nanotechnology

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what percentage of  (a) cosmetics,  (b) biocidal products,  (c) food products and  (d) human medicines marketed in the UK contained manufactured nanomaterials according to ISO definitions in the latest period for which figures are available; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure that such products are safe for (i) consumers and (ii) the environment.

Mark Prisk: The information requested is as follows.
	 (a) We are not aware of the quantities of nanomaterials in cosmetics, but under the EU cosmetics directive cosmetic products are required to undergo a safety assessment which takes into account all aspects of the product use and content, including particle size of the ingredients. Under the EU cosmetics regulation which comes into force in 2013, the requirements for the safety assessment remain, but new requirements will be brought in to provide competent authorities with more information about products containing nanomaterials.
	BIS are not the lead Department for the other areas of the hon. Member's question but we have received the following contributions from the relevant Departments.
	 (b) Biocidal products currently subject to specific national controls under the Control of Pesticides Regulations 1986 are wood preservatives, public hygiene insecticides and insect repellents used on animals, rodenticides and antifouling coatings. There are approximately 2000 biocidal products approved under the 1986 regulations. We are not aware that any of them contain manufactured nanomaterials, although many were approved years before the development of this relatively new technology. However, the national scheme is being progressively overtaken by a European scheme under the Biocidal Products Directive 98/8/EC, which is implemented in the UK by the Biocidal Products Regulations 2001 and equivalent legislation in Northern Ireland. Under the directive the scope of biocidal products is broadened to include disinfectants. Currently there are only three biocidal products authorised under the new biocides legislation, none of which contain nanomaterials. However, the number authorised under the new scheme will grow in future.
	The existing national and EU schemes are broadly similar. Both afford high levels of protection to people and the environment. Active substances, the ingredients that have the biocidal effect, are subject to detailed toxicological and ecotoxicological assessment before they can be used in biocidal products. In addition, each biocidal product is subject to detailed assessment of risk, covering both people and the environment. Biocidal products are only authorised for supply and use when expert assessment and validation confirms that risks are very low, where appropriate conditions of authorisation are imposed.
	 (c) The Food Standards Agency is aware of only one food product on the UK market produced using nanotechnologies, a food supplement that consists of a nanoemulsion of co-enzyme Q10.
	 (d) Human medicines are regulated in the UK by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). It is not possible to give an accurate percentage of UK licensed medicinal products that contain nanomaterials as defined by ISO/TS 27687:2009 because that is only a recent definition. However, approximately 5% of licensed medicinal products in the UK contain colloidal silicon dioxide. This material has been used as a pharmaceutical powder flow aid for many years and the MHRA is not aware of any safety issues that have arisen following extensive clinical use.
	Additionally, a small number of medicinal products (< 1%) contain nanoparticles in the form of liposomes (e.g. Caelyx, Myocet), polymer protein conjugates (e.g. PegIntron, Somavert), polymeric substances (e.g. Copaxone) suspensions (e.g. Rapamune, Emend) or viral-vectored vaccines. The manufacturing of these products often employs standard processes, which are well-described and understood and include the formation of mixed micelles (Liposomal Doxorubicin) or colloidal dispersions (Sonovue), the manufacture of large peptides by standard synthetic techniques or the manufacture of large molecules by standard polymerisation methods.
	For human medicines the manufacture, sale, supply and importation of medicinal products into the UK is governed by Directive 2001/83/EC as amended. All medicines on the UK market have been assessed as acceptably efficacious and safe. Public health is safeguarded by the use of robust and evidence-based assessments for each medicinal product to ensure that the benefits to the patient outweigh any risks.
	(i) and (ii) The Government have an extensive research programme to promote the responsible development and safe use of nanotechnologies. This work aims to improve understanding of the behaviour of nanomaterials and their effects on human health and the environment, in particular focusing on those materials and products which are currently available or close to the market, and includes collaboration in national and global initiatives.

National Composite Centre

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on the future of the National Composite Centre; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: We fully support the creation of the National Composite Centre (NCC) in Bristol. It will play a key part in developing the UK's capability to manufacture composite structures quickly and cost effectively. The global shift from metal to lightweight extra strong composite materials in sectors such as aerospace, wind energy and marine will provide vast commercial opportunities and the NCC will help UK companies realise these opportunities. Greater use of lightweight composites in transport vehicles will, through reduced fuel consumption, help deliver significant CO2 emission savings. The centre will be operational in August 2011.

Post Offices: Bank Services

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how many  (a) current and  (b) basic bank account transactions in respect of accounts of high street banks were undertaken over Post Office counters in 2009-10;
	(2)  how many  (a) balance inquiries and  (b) cash withdrawals from high street bank accounts were handled by the Post Office ATM network in 2009-10.

Edward Davey: I have asked David Smith, the managing director of Post Office Ltd, to respond directly to my hon. Friend and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Regional Growth Fund

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills by what mechanism the regional growth fund will be administered.

Mark Prisk: The Regional Growth Fund was announced in the Budget on 22 June. The fund will be available in 2011-12 and 2012-13 and will support increases in business employment and economic growth by funding regional capital projects.
	The details of the fund are still to be determined and will be set out in a White Paper later in the summer, but proposals will be sought from private bodies and public private partnerships. We would expect successful bids to demonstrate how their proposal will support sustainable increases in business employment and growth in their local economy or community.
	The final decision on bids will be made jointly by the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and the Chief Secretary to the Treasury. They will be supported in making decisions by a new independent advisory panel.

Sector Skills Councils

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the terms of reference are of each sector skills council; and what assessment he has made of the performance by each in fulfilling its remit.

John Hayes: The terms of reference for all Sector Skills Councils (SSC) focuses on raising employer engagement, demand and investment in skills; a lead role in collating and communicating authoritative labour market information; and, a lead role in vocational qualifications, apprenticeship frameworks and national occupational standards. In addition each SSC business plan sets out the sectoral objectives specific to the needs of their employers and industries. In 2009/10 all SSCs went through a high performance assessment undertaken by the National Audit Office and the UK Commission to ensure they can deliver against the core remit. The business plans, assessment reports and skills audits of all SSCs are available in the public domain.

Sector Skills Councils

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the process followed by each sector skills council in taking into account the views of  (a) learners and  (b) further education colleges in developing qualifications under the Qualifications and Credit Framework.

John Hayes: Vocational qualifications are developed by awarding organisations in consultation with Sector Skills Councils, who then approve them for the Qualification and Credit Framework (QCF). In developing qualifications, awarding organisations and Sector Skills Councils seek and take close account of the views of learners and colleges, as well as employers, to ensure that the qualifications are needed by employers and valued by learners. Ofqual ensure that vocational qualifications meet the QCF's rigorous regulatory arrangements before accrediting them.
	The UK Commission for Employment and Skills is evaluating the effectiveness of the QCF, including the new vocational qualifications being developed for it.

Sunday Trading: Christmas

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will ensure there is no relaxation of restrictions on Sunday trading on Boxing Day 2010.

Edward Davey: The Government currently have no plans to relax restrictions on Sunday trading on Boxing day 2010.

Unemployment: Young People

Amber Rudd: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many and what percentage of people aged 16 to 24 years were not in education, employment or training in each  (a) region and  (b) local authority in the first quarter of 2009.

John Hayes: Estimates of the number of people aged(1) 16 to 24 not in education, employment or training (NEET) derived from the Labour Force Survey are published quarterly by the Department for Education. The latest publication can be found online at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/STR/d000924/index.shtml
	and includes supplementary tables giving breakdowns by region. The regional estimates for quarter 1 2009 are reproduced in Table 1. Quarterly NEET estimates show a seasonal pattern, with figures at their highest in quarter three each year. While quarter four is most commonly used for standard reporting, estimates for quarter one are usually broadly in line with quarter four.
	
		
			  Table 1: 16 to 24-year-olds not in education, employment or training in English regions, quarter one 2009 
			   Number  Percentage  95% Confidence Interval 
			 England 933,000 15.5 +/-0.7 
			 North East 58,000 18.1 +/-3.2 
			 North West 156,000 18.5 +/-2.1 
			 Yorks and Humber 109,000 16.0 +/- 2.2 
			 East Midlands 70,000 12.9 +/-2.1 
			 West Midlands 125,000 19.9 +/-2.4 
			 East of England 84,000 13.6 +/-2.1 
			 London 120,000 13.8 +/-2.0 
			 South East 132,000 14.1 +/-1.8 
			 South West 80,000 13.9 +/-2.3 
			 (1) Aged used in NEET statistics is academic age, which is defined as a respondents age as at the preceding 31 August. 
		
	
	The regional estimates for quarter one 2009 are taken from the Labour Force Survey, which does not have a large enough sample to calculate estimates for smaller geographies. However, it is possible to calculate estimates of young people NEET in local authorities from the Annual Population Survey, which has a larger sample than the quarterly Labour Force Survey. The estimates provided in Table 2 cover the period between January to December 2009.
	Although local authority level estimates can be calculated from the Annual Population Survey, these estimates are generally subject to large sampling variability and some estimates for smaller authorities will be based on very small samples subject to extreme variability. The estimates in Table 2 should therefore be treated with considerable caution and viewed in conjunction with their Confidence Intervals(2), which indicate how accurate an estimate is. For example, a Confidence Interval of +/-4 percentage points (pp) means that the true value is between 4pp above the estimate and 4pp below the estimate.
	(2) Those given are 95% confidence intervals
	
		
			  Table 2: 16 to 24-year-olds not in education, employment or training in local authorities, 2009 
			   Number  Percentage  Confidence Interval (%) 
			 England 972,000 16.2 +/- 0.5 
			 Barking and Dagenham 4,000 18 +/- 8 
			 Barnet 5,000 18 +/-10 
			 Barnsley 6,000 22 +/- 6 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 3,000 10 +/-5 
			 Bedfordshire 6,000 15 +/-6 
			 Bexley 3,000 10 +/-6 
			 Birmingham 31,000 23 +/-5 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 3,000 19 +/-6 
			 Blackpool 4,000 22 +/-6 
			 Bolton 7,000 19 +/-6 
			 Bournemouth 3,000 13 +/-5 
			 Bracknell Forest 2,000 19 +/-7 
			 Bradford 11,000 18 +/-6 
			 Brent 3,000 15 +/-10 
			 Brighton and Hove 6,000 17 +/-5 
			 Bristol 8,000 14 +/-5 
			 Bromley 2,000 11 +/-10 
			 Buckinghamshire 7,000 13 +/-6 
			 Bury 5,000 23 +/-7 
			 Calderdale 5,000 19 +/-6 
			 Cambridgeshire 7,000 10 +/-5 
			 Camden 5,000 17 +/-7 
			 Cheshire 13,000 18 +/-5 
			 Cornwall 6,000 12 +/-5 
			 Coventry 7,000 15 +/-5 
			 Croydon 7,000 17 +/-8 
			 Cumbria 9,000 19 +/-6 
			 Darlington 3,000 22 +/-6 
			 Derby 7,000 21 +/-6 
			 Derbyshire 10,000 12 +/-5 
			 Devon 10,000 12 +/-5 
			 Doncaster 10,000 27 +/-6 
			 Dorset 6,000 16 +/-6 
			 Dudley 7,000 19 +/-6 
			 Durham 11,000 18 +/-6 
			 Ealing 6,000 16 +/-8 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 4,000 13 +/-6 
			 East Sussex 9,000 19 +/-7 
			 Enfield 6,000 22 +/-8 
			 Essex 25,000 16 +/-4 
			 Gateshead 4,000 18 +/-6 
			 Gloucestershire 11,000 19 +/-7 
			 Greenwich 3,000 13 +/-7 
			 Hackney 5,000 26 +/-9 
			 Halton 4,000 23 +/-6 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 3,000 13 +/-8 
			 Hampshire 17,000 12 +/-3 
			 Haringey 7,000 23 +/-8 
			 Harrow 1,000 6 +/-7 
			 Hartlepool 3,000 28 +/-7 
			 Havering 3,000 12 +/-7 
			 Herefordshire 2,000 14 +/-7 
			 Hertfordshire 10,000 10 +/-4 
			 Hillingdon 3,000 8 +/-6 
			 Hounslow 4,000 14 +/-8 
			 Isle of Wight 3,000 22 +/-8 
			 Islington 5,000 19 +/-8 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 1,000 9 +/-8 
			 Kent 25,000 16 +/-4 
			 Kingston upon Hull 10,000 24 +/-5 
			 Kingston upon Thames 1,000 6 +/-5 
			 Kirklees 9,000 23 +/-7 
			 Knowsley 4,000 20 +/-6 
			 Lambeth 4,000 14 +/-7 
			 Lancashire 23,000 17 +/-4 
			 Leeds 17,000 13 +/-4 
			 Leicester 8,000 18 +/-5 
			 Leicestershire 9,000 13 +/-5 
			 Lewisham 5,000 17 +/-9 
			 Lincolnshire 12,000 16 +/-5 
			 Liverpool 16,000 24 +/-6 
			 Luton 5,000 21 +/-6 
			 Manchester 12,000 15 +/-4 
			 Medway 7,000 20 +/-6 
			 Merton 2,000 11 +/-7 
			 Middlesbrough 4,000 21 +/-6 
			 Milton Keynes 5,000 17 +/-7 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 8,000 17 +/-5 
			 Newham 7,000 22 +/-7 
			 Norfolk 15,000 16 +/-5 
			 North East Lincolnshire 5,000 23 +/-6 
			 North Lincolnshire 3,000 19 +/-7 
			 North Somerset 1,000 7 +/-5 
			 North Tyneside 5,000 27 +/-8 
			 North Yorkshire 9,000 14 +/-6 
			 Northamptonshire 14,000 16 +/-5 
			 Northumberland 5,000 17 +/-7 
			 Nottingham 8,000 13 +/-4 
			 Nottinghamshire 12,000 14 +/-5 
			 Oldham 6,000 24 +/-6 
			 Oxfordshire 7,000 9 +/-5 
			 Peterborough 3,000 15 +/-5 
			 Plymouth 4,000 11 +/-5 
			 Poole 2,000 16 +/-6 
			 Portsmouth 4,000 13 +/-5 
			 Reading 3,000 14 +/-6 
			 Redbridge 4,000 16 +/-8 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 5,000 27 +/-7 
			 Richmond upon Thames 3,000 16 +/-9 
			 Rochdale 5,000 21 +/-6 
			 Rotherham 6,000 23 +/-7 
			 Rutland (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			 Salford 8,000 24 +/-6 
			 Sandwell 11,000 29 +/-6 
			 Sefton 6,000 19 +/-6 
			 Sheffield 12,000 14 +/-5 
			 Shropshire 3,000 11 +/-5 
			 Slough 2,000 13 +/-5 
			 Solihull 5,000 20 +/-6 
			 Somerset 9,000 14 +/-6 
			 South Gloucestershire 3,000 11 +/-5 
			 South Tyneside 5,000 28 +/-7 
			 Southampton 6,000 18 +/-6 
			 Southend on Sea 3,000 21 +/-7 
			 Southwark 5,000 13 +/-7 
			 St Helens 4,000 21 +/-6 
			 Staffordshire 13,000 14 +/-4 
			 Stockport 6,000 18 +/-6 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 4,000 18 +/-6 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 7,000 25 +/-6 
			 Suffolk 10,000 14 +/-5 
			 Sunderland 9,000 24 +/-6 
			 Surrey 7,000 7 +/-3 
			 Sutton 2,000 16 +/-9 
			 Swindon 4,000 18 +/-6 
			 Tameside 6,000 20 +/-6 
			 Telford and Wrekin 4,000 23 +/-6 
			 Thurrock 4,000 24 +/-7 
			 Torbay 2,000 19 +/-7 
			 Tower Hamlets 8,000 25 +/-8 
			 Trafford 5,000 20 +/-6 
			 Wakefield 9,000 22 +/-6 
			 Walsall 5,000 17 +/-6 
			 Waltham Forest 3,000 10 +/-6 
			 Wandsworth 2,000 6 +/-6 
			 Warrington 4,000 18 +/-6 
			 Warwickshire 8,000 15 +/-6 
			 West Berkshire 1,000 7 +/-5 
			 West Sussex 13,000 18 +/-6 
			 Westminster 5,000 18 +/-9 
			 Wigan 8,000 22 +/-6 
			 Wiltshire 5,000 11 +/-6 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 3,000 20 +/-7 
			 Wirral 7,000 21 +/-6 
			 Wokingham 2,000 10 +/-5 
			 Wolverhampton 7,000 24 +/-6 
			 Worcestershire 8,000 14 +/-6 
			 York 3,000 10 +/-5 
			 (1 )Number less than 500  Note: Numbers are rounded to the nearest 1,000. Base: 16-24 year olds  Source: 2009 Annual Population Survey

CABINET OFFICE

Lone Parents: Durham

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many lone parents there are in City of Durham constituency.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated July 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your request to ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many lone parents there are in City of Durham constituency. (8462)
	The number and type of families in the UK can be estimated using the Annual Population Survey (APS). Estimates are provided for lone parent families which include at least one child aged under 16.
	The latest available figure is for 2008 and is shown in the table below. This is based on the 2008 parliamentary constituency boundary. City of Durham constituency, as constituted in 2008, consisted of 20 electoral wards, nine more than the current constituency. The breakdown of the data available is not sufficiently detailed to determine whether the newly constituted parliamentary constituency contains the same estimated number of lone parents as the 2008 constituency.
	
		
			  Geographical area  Number of lone parent families with at least one child under 16 (thousand)( 1) 
			 City of Durham constituency (2008) 2 
			 (1) As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty and are therefore presented rounded to the nearest thousand.   Source:  APS January to December 2008.

Lone Parents: Newport

Jessica Morden: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many lone parents there are in Newport East constituency.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated July 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your request to ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many lone parents there are in Newport East constituency. (8479)
	The number and type of families in the UK can be estimated using the Annual Population Survey (APS). Estimates are provided for lone parent families which include at least one child aged under 16.
	The latest available figure is for 2008 and is shown in the table below. This is based on the 2008 parliamentary constituency boundary and there have been no boundary changes since 2008 in the area requested.
	
		
			  Geographical area  Number of lone parent families with at least one child under 16 (thousand)( 1) 
			 Newport East constituency (2008) 2 
			 (1) As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty and are therefore presented rounded to the nearest thousand.   Source:   APS January to December 2008.